The Edge of Dover Castle

I was flipping through photos of our trip to Dover Castle and came across some that give a little bit of perspective to the type of fortified location it had.  Dover is known for its cliffs (the White Cliffs of Dover) and thus gives it a bit of strategic advantage during a battle.  Looking down one can see that there is a built up area of defense in the top photo.  The castle buildings themselves are surrounded by built up areas, too.  I don't think I'd want to climb up to an area and see the below tower peeking down on me.  I probably wouldn't have made it this far in the first place.  

Reflecting on this makes me think about the defenses we put up as people.  Emotional defenses, and sometimes physical defenses.  We don't want others to get too close, or we've been hurt in some way and feel we need protection.  Oftentimes this will manifest itself as a distance (i.e. not sharing what's really going on in our lives) or simply not being available to answer a phone, text, email or other call.  While these defenses are sometimes a necessary protective mechanism to help us get through difficult times or relationships, don't forget to let loved ones back into the circle or at least let them know what's going on at some point.  Something as simple as "I've got a lot going on and will connect with you again soon," lets people know that they are not being forgotten or ignored.