What is REAL?

In The Velveteen Rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit asked the Skin Horse one day, "What is REAL?" "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?" The Skin Horse replied, "Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." The Velveteen Rabbit wants to know if that hurts. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." Being real is at our core. We forget what being real is as we begin to build our defenses against the world around us. If we remember that our true nature is to love, then the defenses are not necessary. As we approach the mid years of our lives we understand that we can survive just about any hurt imaginable. It may not feel good at the time, but as time passes we can move beyond it. What is important to remember is that it is not our core that suffers the indignations, but our ego. Being REAL allows us to remain open to close relationships to those around us. How does being REAL show up for you today?