"Who am I?" How many of those I see, daily, on the street, in the tram, at work or even at home, ask themselves this question? I’m not the only one... I can’t be. I recognize that look I meet every time I look in the mirror. And I often see it on the faces of those around me. I would like to ask them: "Have you found out who you are?" I’ve never been able to say it out loud. To hear it. I only have the echo of it somewhere in the background, slower, further, until it is lost in the noise of thoughts rushing over each other. "Who am I?" I would like to find myself, the one who got lost somewhere along the road called life, among the desires of others, responsibilities, worries and obligations, fears and inabilities. I would like to find out who I really am, not the one that I always had to be, to fit into patterns, the one that my family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, society had to accept... Many times I asked myself how could I figure out who I am beyond all this. What I really want and what matters most to me. With so many masks, I don’t even know how to get to the truth. This search makes me feel like I want to cross the street alone, blindfolded, completely disoriented and without any support. I feel like I’m suffocating in my "perfect" life, where smiles too often hide sadness. I want to shout out loud: "Done! I can not do this anymore! I don’t want to pretend anymore!". I’m tired of always saying "Yes" when I feel like saying "No" with all my heart. Why do I do this? Am I afraid of the reactions of those around me? I don’t want to make them suffer? Am I afraid of being alone? How many times I didn’t want to get up and leave those places where I couldn’t find myself, but inevitably I always stayed put... For fear of everything that could have followed after that moment. And every time, I told myself that this is the last time I accept and overlook such a situation. Unfortunately, it was not the last. Not even the penultimate one. For years I got drunk on the bittersweet of vain hope instead of facing the liberating truth. Because I always made up a good reason to stay in the loop. And to always ask myself the same and the same unanswered question until now. "Who am I?" Does the above inner monologue sound familiar? Did we find ourselves among the thoughts of this character? It is indeed a difficult decision to set out to find out who you really are beyond the masks. We wear all kinds of costumes, we play roles, we are actors on the stage of life since we know each other. Amiable or, on the contrary, wanting to command respect, talkative or very restrained when the situation calls for it, shy, impertinent, respectful or charismatic, I have worn, in turn, day by day, a lot of masks. We laughed even though our hearts were torn by pain, we cried forcibly when that was expected of us, we pretended to be calm and brave even though fear paralyzed all our movements, we were different characters in different scenarios. Dramas, comedies, tragedies or romantic movies, we’ve acted in them all since we were born and we’re still doing it. Of choice or need. So the hard and challenging decision to want to get to know us. What if we don’t like what we discover? What if it hurts? Inevitable decision, however, when we can no longer continue our life in self-denial, in lies and suffering. When, not yet knowing who we are under all these masks and roles, we begin to realize who we are not and never want to be. The moment I got the courage to really look at myself and be honest with myself, my whole life started to change. In less than three years I discovered a new person, affectionate and tender, gentle, somewhat wiser and forgiving, willing to help those around her, more patient and very determined to listen to her heart. In a few years, the past life, from which I could not detach myself for so long, became only a memory, with beautiful moments and dear people, but also with many painful lessons from which I had so much to learn and for which, now , I am grateful. All that is left of me is the memory of what I was. I, the one of the present, have learned to patiently and courageously carve out a new life for myself, as I have always felt it in my soul. With trust and faith, for the first time, I feel alive and truly alive. Really. That "for real" that I was afraid to face, but without which I didn’t want to live anymore. "Who am I?" I don’t know yet, and it will probably take me a lifetime to find out the answer to that question. As long as I walk my way, as God guides my heart, I am happy and at peace with myself. And no matter how many obstacles I encounter on the way, I will always find the strength to overcome them with the joy of a child who knows that this is the game, sometimes easier, sometimes harder, but always so beautiful."