# The Gentle Art of Demarking

## Marks We Carry

Life leaves its traces on us. A harsh word etches doubt. A failure stains confidence. Successes brand us with expectations we chase endlessly. These marks define us—or so we believe. They pile up like ink on paper, blurring the page beneath. On a quiet evening, staring at an old journal filled with crossed-out lines, I wondered: what if we could lift them away?

## The Simple Act

Demarking starts small. It's wiping clean a foggy mirror to see your face plainly. No titles, no roles—just you. Sit with a memory that stings and breathe it out. Let go of "I should be" or "they think I'm." Forgive the scratch on your skin from a long-ago tumble; it served its lesson. 

Here’s how it unfolds in daily moments:
- Pause before labeling a stranger's glance as judgment.
- Release a grudge like shedding an outgrown coat.
- Embrace blank space in your day, unmarked by plans.

No grand rituals needed. Just steady attention, like rain smoothing stone.

## What Remains

Without marks, lightness emerges. Relationships deepen when we meet souls, not stories. Creativity flows from a clear slate. In demarking, we don't lose ourselves—we uncover the steady core always there, waiting.

*Demarking reveals: we were never the marks at all.*