General Discussion

What I went through was nothing compared to what many others have gone through.

I'm fortunate that my strong sense of self kept me whole during those times. I have essentially never spoken of those things until this thread. I feel safe enough here on DU to talk about it.

Perhaps the most important thing is that what happened didn't stop my life in any way. In all honesty, what happened was a speed bump, and I could drive on. For many others, the exact same thing that happened to me might have been emotionally devastating, and I know that. I would NEVER say, "I went through that and it wasn't so bad so get over it".

All of us have different life experiences, and even for the same or similar experiences, our responses/reactions can be very different.

It's my belief that we are here to learn lessons. The lessons I need to learn are understandably different from your lessons. What happens to us is a factor in those lessons.

Again, thank you.