It is a phrase I read recently: a pocket of pride.

We don’t have to be consumed by pride. We often just pocket a bit of it for safekeeping for some reason. It makes us comfortable. We like a reserve in preparation for a just-in-case situation. We may compartmentalize it, keeping it out of view for the majority of situations and relationships, but it comes out as a release or habit in others.

What qualities do we carry in our pockets, things we generally keep under control, but all it takes is a sly shift of a hand in the pocket to grasp what comforts us or suddenly sling it out when we need something more active as our comfort response. The pocket becomes the easy place to hide the things we don’t want to wear as a slogan on the front of our shirts. Very few people will find the contents of our pockets, but what we secretly carries affects us most.

Do a pocket check. What are you hiding? Take time to deal with it. Ease the burden it’s putting on you and those around you. You might be so used to it the effect on your life is imperceptible to you, but it will eventually come out. It’s worth the effort to regularly empty your pockets.