Every Story Has A Beginning...

...this is mine.

I'm not going to start from the very beginning; not yet anyway. I'm starting with today. Today is the beginning.

The beginning of a new chapter. The beginning of [hopefully] the happiest time of my life.

Twenty-five years I've been on this planet. Twenty-five years of darkness. Today the light will stay on. Today is the day I fight back. For real. None of the bullshit I've spouted in the past.

I'm done punishing myself for the actions of others. I'm finished putting myself down because I'm not what everyone thinks I should be. I'm no longer going to be afraid of who I am.

My journey is just beginning. However, the road in front of me is littered with debris from the past. The only way to move forward is to confront my past and quit running from the pain it holds. It won't be pretty but it will be worth it.

What I write will be personal. It will be painful. It has made me who I am and in some instances made me stronger. I won't say everything I've gone through has made me stronger but I will say that I have learned and been changed by my experiences.

The purpose in this is to help me. But also, to help my friends and family. And, God willing, maybe a stranger. I can't promise what I write will be universally liked but I can promise that what I write is me. Raw, vulnerable me.

This is unapologetically me.