Alex,
I have so much to say, but I think I'll save the bulk of it for when we chat in a few days.
What I want to offer in the comments here is this:
Something cracked open in you once your piece was published on my Substack. I can see it in this follow-up piece in the specific story about you and Jerry sharing that muddy moment and half-dirty apple pie.
I think it's important to normalize how terrifying it can be to share a story like yours, especially with your coming out before you were ready and with the sudden homelessness. Each of us has pieces of our past that we wonder, "Will I still be loved if I tell people about this? Or will they reject me? Will they abandon me?"
You took that risk. Look at what happened!
The comments are still coming in underneath your honest rendering on my Substack. To me, it was like you were extending your heart in your hand and the people who responded took your hand in theirs. We are all holding you up, Alex. We are telling you that you are an incredible human and that your story is profound. Your voice is needed here. And we are all glad to be part of your Substack family.
When I say something cracked open in you, I think it has to do with the fact that you sat with the tension of your resistance and asked what it was trying to tell you. And then you responded by sharing even MORE with us. Because it is safe. Because you know we are here to provide a soft landing space for you.
Discovering our safe people who lift us up and accept us, regardless of who we are or who we once were, liberates us to be our truest selves. And then we can celebrate each other. That is what it means to love and to embrace our humanity, which you do so well.
KEEP SHARING YOUR STORY. KEEP USING THAT POWERFUL VOICE OF YOURS. We are here for you. We stand with you.