"There is an anxiety in being yourself, though. There is the haunting question of "What if?" always lingering. What if who I am will never be enough?… - Roxane Gay

To change the world, we need to face what has become of it. To heal from a trauma, we need to understand the extent of it.

Regardless of what you do, your body is the subject of public discourse with family, friends, and strangers alike. Your body is subject to commentary when you gain weight, lose weight, or maintain your unacceptable weight. People are quick to offer you statistics and information about the dangers of obesity, as if you are not only fat but also incredibly stupid, unaware, delusional about the realities of your body and a world that is vigorously inhospitable to that body. This commentary is often couched as concern, as people only having your best interests at heart. They forget that you are a person. You are your body, nothing more, and your body should damn well become less.

That was something of a revelation to me, that a young man could be kind.