President Kennedy famously remarked “Whenever someone asks me ‘how do you feel?’ I tell them ‘I feel fine.’ Because most people don’t want to hear about how your back hurts or anything else.

You wrote this, which I highlighted, “I feel disconnected and isolated and alone, and I haven’t let myself feel how lonely I am because doing so means admitting that I don’t know how to connect and that I’m scared to be real because I’m scared of who I really am and I’m sure that if people knew who I really am, if I were truly honest, then they would reject me, and rightfully so, so I keep pretending that these shallow, halfway connections are okay for me but I don’t know how long I can keep that up.”

This is what I wrote the other day: “ I’m just so discouraged right now. Nothing ever goes in my favor. Nothing. I don’t want money, sympathy, prayers or anything of that sort. I just want to be acknowledged. That I have value and that I’m not taken for granted or taken advantage of. I can fight my own battles, but I’m just tired of being mocked and screwed over. I just wish things were different. Where I wasn’t always attacked for my beliefs (personal, political, religious) and that I had a better sense of my life. I’m not going to apologize for the way I feel or act. I’m 61 years old, I have been on my own since I was nine. I am not here for anyone’s amusement or to be patronized. People can’t handle the truth. If my life interferes or upsets you, too bad. I’m not going to change for anyone. I’m a fool, but I’m not stupid (and yes, I’ve been called that as well). People make choices and those choices seem to affect me more than anything. That’s why I feel helpless at the moment.”