Sensitive Side

I often focus on Anne Lister’’s strength, courage, and badassery. While these qualities are pronounced, she was also quite sensitive. Yes AL willed herself to rise above rejection and pain in many ways (via planting hedges in frustration for example), but is anyone truly able to run away from love or the heartache coupled with it? If left unprocessed the hurt just comes out in different ways. For example, in your befuddled state, you might think it’s a good idea to bring your square dancing skills from elementary school to the forefront of a social gathering (that was a low point for me). Anyway, this scene is a perfect example of the depth of her sentiments. We see it in her shaky hands and tear stained cheeks. Thankfully, her journal allowed AL to process her emotions and mentally grapple with her plight. She was a strong, yet sensitive being...in other words, the whole package.