23
Beryl
The_Well:“We need you.”
That’s what she said.
I felt a lot of things growing up, tolerated, mostly accepted, and yeah, loved, for sure, but needed?
Nah.
Hard to feel like a hassle and a burden, and necessary and needed all at the same time.
I’m old enough to know that a lot of that is perception. What I felt. I’m a stoic at heart, and stoicism as a concept and school of philosophy brought me through my transition. It’s what led me on my road with the Mountaineers, then the Manor, and now here. The brownstone and the Briar Society.
Stoicism helped me realize that nobody “made me” feel anything. I chose to be affected by other people’s behavior or perceived reactions. Back then, I was looking for any cracks in their acceptance, any incorrect pronoun, any sigh that they thoug
