She loved us more than all the named things in the world. - Cheryl Strayed

Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked. Every time I heard a sound of unknown origin or felt something horrible cohering in my imagination, I pushed it away. I simply did not let myself become afraid. Fear begets fear. Power begets power.

It was my life - like all lives, mysterious and irrevocable and scared. So very close, so very present, so very belonging to me.
How wild it was, to let it be.

It’s a lie you’ve told yourself that has flattened down whatever hurts.