Secrets Bite

So.
Something happened this weekend that deserves to have a blog post dedicated to it.

We were out on a hike in Arches, and since it wasn't a long one, we were walking slow.  The slower hikes are the hikes that Jack and James become little chatter boxes.  We literally cannot get a word in, even if we want to.  Since they aren't out of breath, they think, "Hey!  I'll just talk! And talk.  And talk.  And talk and talk and talk and talk."
And I love it.

As we were looping back from the "destination" of the hike to the trail head, James got into a very serious conversation with Cole.
It was all about a secret.
Now.  Let me tell you a little about this three year old of mine.  One?  He has an incredible imagination.  He will play for hours in all kinds of worlds, entirely of his own invention, and even his food becomes an actor in this game of life.  As we walked along the trail, James proceeded to paint a very vivid picture of what a secret was like.
"Secrets hide."  He pointed along the darker parts of the trail, under trees, or behind bushes.
"Secrets" he said, "are monsters."
Then?
"Sometimes secrets bite people."

As the conversation continued, it became evident that James is in fact just three, as the secrets also attacked unsuspecting cars, and even flew around with the wind.  To him, the world is nothing but a beautiful place filled with endless wonder.
But those secrets became something tangible.
Something to be reckoned with, and something to avoid.
And those words burned themselves into my mind.
Secrets bite people.

I'm not real big with personal details, usually.  Life changes.  It flows, and moves, and has an elegance to it that can be rivaled with nothing else.  If one were to look at my life, I cannot confess to how they might describe me.  Nor do I know how I am spoken of by others.  Truth be told, I don't speak to, or treat, myself with the dignity I should on occasion.  Thankfully, my boys continually grant me introspection.  With this one?
I grabbed a torch, and walked to my shadows.

Whenever I say or do anything, if I act with the intention of keeping it a secret in any way, should I have done so at all?  Maybe once those words or deeds fly into the wind, they hide in dark places, and wait.  They wait until a moment arises, then they attack.  Do we speak, or act, at times without any intention of truly owning it?  Do we silently hope that our moment will keep itself hidden?  After all, these are the shadows.  Our secrets take cover under trees, and behind bushes.  But the truth doesn't lend itself to the dark, does it.  We tread on a thin line thinking what we say or do will tend no harm to those who don't know any better.
Sometimes it is something harmless.
Sometimes it is not.
And secrets bite.

We need small reminders from the most innocent members of this world to realize what we should change, and how.  I don't have many words of wisdom here, for I feel the words speak for themselves.
Go on your own journey with it.
Just remember.
Sometimes secrets bite people.