After 41 years and a lot of pain, there are a few things I have learned:

• Not everyone is going to like me

• Speaking up for the vulnerable will always piss off the bullies

• It’s not worth being silent just to be accepted by others

• I get to choose how to spend my time and what matters to me

• Nature never apologizes 

• My life is too precious to waste on caring about what others think about me. 

“I would rather be blinded by the light than run into something trying to see in the dark.”