From the Deck to the Page #5
Category: Express – Share what makes you, you.
This week’s card from the ‘Soul Bridges’ deck asked:
“What aspect of your personality surprises people the most?”
So, I asked a few friends the same question. Their answers made me smile and think.
One friend said, “People are always shocked to learn I love spreadsheets.” Another told me, “I come across as so put together, but I’m a total mess in the morning—don’t talk to me before coffee.”
Someone else confessed, “I’m wildly introverted, but most people think I’m a social butterfly.”
There’s something powerful in that moment when someone sees a side of you they didn’t expect. It’s not about being deceptive, it’s about being multidimensional.
We all have layers that don’t fit neatly into one description.
We can be both strong and sensitive.
Structured and wildly creative.
Grounded and spontaneous.
Quiet in crowds, and loud with our people.
As for me?
People often say, “You don’t let much bother you do you, you’re always so calm.”
And that’s true. I am calm. I create space for others, hold energy, and carry a steady presence, whether in session or in life.
But when I do get mad—really mad—I hear, “Uh oh! Where did that come from?”
My fire is usually quiet. But it’s there.
Stillness doesn’t mean I don’t feel deeply.
My husband once pointed out another surprise—how I can get stuck on something, it becomes an obstacle, even though I’m often the first to say “It is what it is” and move forward.
I help others spot their patterns all the time… and yet, I fall into my own.
It’s humbling. And human.
Then recently, two close friends shared their take.
After some thoughtful discussion, they said,
“You’re actually much more outgoing than you first come off as.”
That one surprised even my husband.
He looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Really?”
Which made me pause and ask myself:
Wait… how do I come off?
It was a reminder that even the people closest to us see us from various angles.
And that we’re constantly learning how we’re perceived and where we still surprise.
I think there’s a little magic in those moments.
It’s like cracking a window open and letting the breeze in.
It makes room for curiosity, for connection, for permission to show up as our whole selves, not just the parts that make the most sense to others.
So now I’ll ask you:
What’s a part of you that people don’t expect?
And how does it feel when that side gets to breathe?
Thanks for being here. If you enjoyed this post, there’s plenty more where that came from, everything from soulful healing tips to playful prompts and real conversations about life.
Find me and connect:
Website: www.flexiblebeing.com
Instagram:
@theresamartinezshapiro
@flexiblebeing
Email: theresa@flexiblebeing.com
Empowering Your Journey to Healing, Clarity, and Self-Discovery.
Theresa Martinez-Shapiro
Hello! I am Theresa Martinez-Shapiro; Wife to Robert. Founder of Flexible Being. A Master Reiki Therapist, Certified Oracle Guide, Spiritual Mentor/Guide, Intuitive Empath, Coach, and Educator. I am a fur mom to 3 cats and 1 dog – Sonny, Patches, Ryelee, and Winnie. We currently live and practice in Stockton, California. We operate three businesses – Shapiro Holistic Health and Chiropractic, Fusion Health APC, and Synergy Health MSO, where we seek to improve and change the lives of our patients and those we have the privilege of crossing paths with. My healing and mentoring journey began around 5 years old when I discovered that I was put on this planet to help others. I knew I was different, unique, and gifted. I did not see the world the same way everyone else did, and recognized I was meant to do so much more. I began to research, spending a lot of time reading & asking a lot of questions to anyone that wanted to share stories about their life experiences. I am a dreamer and had a unique relationship with the dream world. My very real, vivid & lucid dreams began turning into out-of-body experiences and unexplained occurrences. I began doing my own dream interpretations to look for patterns & a new way of deciphering life. Family members were part of many different religions, so I was educated in Catholicism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, and Native American culture & beliefs. Along the way, I took up multiple mentors that cultivated my growth and expansion of my gifts, allowing me to focus on my potential and purpose. As an adult, coworkers were unloading their life stories, internal secrets, and things that had not been shared or even spoken out loud. I began to share those experiences with my aunt & Reiki Master/Teacher, Carmen. In 2012, Carmen told me, “I think you are ready to walk the path I always knew you were meant to walk”. That saying began my obsessive journey into Reiki, Spirituality, Psychology, Intuition and Psychic gifts, Meditation and Mindfulness, Past Lives, Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Mysteries of the Universe, Moon and Sun cycles, Astrology, Numerology, Oracle Cards, Shamanism, & so much more. My journey has helped me to assist patients, clients, families, and friends discover who they have been, who they are, and who they want to become. I am expanding my reach and educating others by authoring Musings of a Flexible Being, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you. Thank you! Theresa Martinez-Shapiro Flexible Being Website: www.flexiblebeing.com Socials: Facebook: @flexiblebeingonline Instagram:@theresamartinezshapiro Instagram: @flexiblebeing
