Are you completely frank with other people? I mean, totally truthful. Okay, let’s be
honest (pun intended): everybody lies sometimes. We have different reasons to do that, from
a little white lie you tell to protect someone’s feelings to something else less benevolent.
But what if there was someone completely and utterly honest about their feelings and thoughts?
Well, that could be an interesting experiment, so I decided to become that person for a whole
week. And here’s where it took me.
Before I began, I’d made a set of rules for myself to follow this week. First, I had
to reply truthfully to any questions coming my way. That included even those questions
that might seem embarrassing for some, like the size of my clothes or my paycheck. Secondly,
when talking to someone, I would only speak my mind and express my real emotions. I wouldn’t
fake anything or hide my feelings to make that person more comfortable around me. However,
I would not be harsh either — I’d just tell them what I think, no more and no less
than that. And thirdly, I decided that I couldn’t let
other people, especially those close to me, come in harm’s way because of my experiment.
That meant I would refuse to answer questions or even talk about sensitive topics concerning
my friends and relatives. Their secrets are their own, not mine. Still, I wouldn’t lie;
I’d simply not talk. As for all the rest, including my own secrets,
I’d be completely honest and only speak the truth. Well, at least as I saw it — everyone
has their own views on different matters, right? And so it began.
On day 1, I informed everyone I happened to talk to about my experiment. That mostly included
my colleagues, since it was Tuesday, and I didn’t have any plans to go out with my
friends or visit my family. So the first day was pretty easy. I talked to just a couple
of people who, upon hearing my warning, looked both amused and a bit nervous. They seemed
to not believe me at first, and one of them decided to check me by asking what I thought
about him as a colleague. Well, I felt relieved because that guy was really helpful. However,
everyone suspected that he was stealing food from the common fridge, and I said as much.
He laughed at that and thanked me for finally telling him. He didn’t confess, though.
Ah well, it was my experiment, after all, not his.
Anyway, whenever I was engaged in a conversation, I spoke my mind openly. It was hard at first,
but the feeling was incredible. I didn’t have to hide behind words any longer and I
said clearly what I liked or disliked, what I approved or disapproved, and so on. Of course,
I caught more than a few curious looks, but I was prepared for that. The day ended on
a good note, and my spirits were high when I went to bed that night.
For Wednesday, I had planned a meeting with my best buds at our favorite bar. So after
another day at work, I went there, feeling a bit apprehensive. I knew my friends — they’d
ask me all kinds of questions after finding out about my experiment, just for fun. And
they obliged, of course. In fact, I didn’t even tell them anything at first, but they
cracked me real soon. And oh the questions they asked… Come on, guys, I’m your buddy,
after all! Of course, I had to answer truthfully to everything
they threw at me. The most innocent questions were whether I’d ever skipped meeting with
them just because I didn’t want to go and… whether I’d ever eaten my own boogers. Ew,
gross! Long story short, though, they got to know the real me, but we remained friends.
Yet having fun was not the only thing my buds did that night: they also encouraged me to
do something I hadn’t dared before. That is, confessing my feelings to the girl I like.
Now, I’m not really a brave kind, especially when it comes to dating, and she… Ah, let’s
say I’ve had a crush on her since we met more than a year ago. We’re colleagues,
but work in different departments, so we don’t meet often, but we’ve been good friends.
So I thought, what the heck, why not give it a try while I’m in the middle of such
an experiment? I decided to ask her out on Friday night,
so I’d have Thursday to pluck up some courage and get ready for the date. I’d freed the
day and spent it on the job and at home just to make sure I’d have no more challenges
to face. My colleagues already got used to my new quality, so I had an easy time going
through the day. But then, as luck would have it, one thing happened that made me sweat
like crazy. You see, my boss isn’t exactly a pleasant
man. He’s clever and efficient, but he can be rather harsh sometimes. And that day, just
before I stood up to go home, he called me to his office. “Darn!” I though and plodded
back, my heart racing. If I decided to be honest with everyone, I had to go all-in,
or it just wouldn’t make sense. And that meant… answering truthfully to my boss’s
questions too. Oh dear… He was sitting at his desk, all businesslike,
as usual. I relaxed a bit when I saw him smile — that was a good sign, but not a reason
to stop worrying, especially considering my promise. Luckily, he wanted to talk about
my report that I’d made a couple of days prior — he seemed to like it and wanted
to thank me for the job well done. Phew! That was a relief. It’s always rather nerve-racking
when the boss summons you, but you can’t imagine how nervous I was this particular
time! Anyway, he let me go rather quickly and without asking any difficult questions,
so I hurried home. The next day at work I spent in thoughts about
the coming evening with Amy — that’s my crush’s name. To say I was absent-minded
would be a serious understatement: I asked to repeat every time someone addressed me
and almost missed a very important call I had to make. At last, it was 5 pm, time to
go meet her at the entrance. Do I need to mention that my knees were buckling with stress?
We took a walk to a café not far away where I’d booked a table in advance. There we
ordered some food and wine, and while engaging in small talk, Amy asked me what was wrong
— and I realized I was jittery and sweating a little bit without even noticing. Okay,
a deal’s a deal, so I told her all about my experiment and mentioned that the real
reason I asked her out was not to just have a nice chat. She got confused and serious
at that. “Is everything alright?” she asked. “Yeah, pretty much,” I replied.
And then, in a single breath, “I really like you, will you be with me?”
I know how awkward that sounds! But then again, would you have done better in my situation?!
Anyway, Amy gave me a surprised smile and didn’t speak for a moment. And then she
said, “I need to think a little bit, can I? Sorry.” “Of course,” I said, “Sure,
take your time. Thanks for hearing me out.” We both felt ill at ease the rest of the evening,
and the conversation dragged. In about half an hour we finished our meals and parted ways.
I offered to see her home but she said she needed some time alone to think. Aw, shoot.
I was devastated. I didn’t leave home the whole Saturday, didn’t even answer phone
calls from my friends. I’m ashamed to say so, but I blamed them for encouraging me to
confess. Now I didn’t just lose my chance with Amy but also probably lost her as a friend
too. On Sunday, to lift my spirits, I decided to
meet with my family — Mom, Dad, and little Mikey, my baby brother. He’s not a baby
anymore at 16, of course, but I like to call him that. We have a great relationship among
us, and they were happy to see me. I told them my news, they told me theirs, and surprisingly,
they were tactful enough not to ask me any embarrassing questions — even Mikey! They
also supported me about Amy, telling me she just needed some time. All in all, the day
went great, and the only thing that happened was that I told Mom I’d always known where
she hid candy when I was little. And then came Monday, the last day of my experiment.
I braced myself for meeting with Amy again and went to the office. She met me at the
building’s entrance, and I just stood there, stupefied. She asked whether I was serious
about what I said on Friday night, and I nodded. Then she smiled a little bit and explained
that she liked me but couldn’t be with me. But we could still be friends! I was upset,
of course, but then I decided it was better than hoping and waiting in vain. It was still
a good experience, after all. The rest of the day went calm enough, and
so my experiment ended. What can I say? It was tough but exciting. I realized how hard
it is to always speak your mind and never lie about anything. And I got lucky, because
almost no one except my friends made me feel embarrassed, and the only really sad thing
was my confession to Amy. Well, you can’t always get what you want, as they say.
Would you try such an experiment yourself? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned
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