A Blessing For Shyness

Paul Dunion

Shyness has been greatly misunderstood with insinuations of a missing courage and a loss of spirit. I have always found shyness to be trustworthy, lacking in pretense, with no striving to impress. However, the trustworthiness of shyness far exceeds what it doesn’t do. I’m thankful to say that after years of turning away and toward my own shyness and that of others, I’ve been touched more deeply by the yielding and retiring nature of being shy:

When leading, it won’t forget who’s following.

It won’t allow you to rush somewhere you don’t belong.

It holds a reverence for the immeasurable depth of the self.

It holds a nuanced consideration for what the world is asking for.

Its pause can craft as fitting offering.

It serves as an invitation to come closer.

It allows for a buffering silence in the presence of some untamed clamor.

It breathes a sensitivity that gently subdues what might be more crass.

It respects how co-creative the moment might be.

It tells of some needed boundary.

It allows you to remember who you are.

Welcome your shyness and listen to its offering, and a gentle bow in gratitude for its gifts.