Finding my people has been vital. I have been able to survive and thrive at moments thanks to support groups, mental health professionals, and friends and family members who I have reconnected with.

When I first separated it was hard to reach out to anyone. I didn’t know how to explain that I had been making decisions that it felt like no one else could understand in order to try and be safe. To keep others safe.

I began making the connections again by being blunt. I said sorry more than anyone understood. I was often asked not to, but it is what made sense to me.

Now though, I am working to be comfortable with living my truth openly. I survived domestic violence. I survived pretty much every kind of abuse imaginable. It isn’t a dirty secret, though perhaps an uncomfortable one. It isn’t my job to make anyone comfortable enough to stomach my presence or my life.