What’s the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

I used to think it was composure. Or maybe the right words.
Sometimes I thought it was self-protection—armor, logic, backup plans.

But the more I’ve lived, listened, and written, the more I’ve realized:
The most important thing to carry is your openness.

The willingness to be seen. To feel. To fumble.
To love without a script.
To laugh even when it’s awkward.
To stay open to connection—even when your instincts tell you to shut down.

It’s easy to protect yourself from love.
It’s harder—and far more beautiful—to let it in anyway.

That’s what inspired me to write Beautiful Men.
Not a fantasy of perfect romance, but the quiet courage it takes to try again.
To walk your dog, mind your business… and still risk falling for the one person who catches you off guard.

Because love rarely arrives when we expect it.
And if we’re not open, we just might miss it.

So carry your openness.
Even if it scares you.
Especially then.