I don’t think we hold onto the past for no reason. Even the things we wish we could forget… there’s usually something in them that hasn’t fully settled yet. For a long time, I thought letting go meant pushing things away or trying not to think about them. But that never really worked.

I’ve always felt a little different. For a long time, I was still able to blend in—especially with family and friends. But as I got older, that started to change. My life was moving in a different direction, even before I fully understood what that direction was. I just knew I didn’t fit the same way anymore.