Braving the Wilderness

Feltman describes trust as “choosing to risk3 making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions

And as Murdoch proceeded to explain how “not present” I was at dinner—Polite and friendly? Yes. Present? No.—I knew right away what was happening

Pain is unrelenting. It will get our attention. Despite our attempts to drown it in addiction

When we deny ourselves the right to be angry, we deny our pain. There are a lot of coded shame messages in the rhetoric of “Why so hostile?” “Don’t get hysterical,” “I’m sensing so much anger!” and “Don’t take it so personally

Unchecked loneliness fuels continued loneliness by keeping us afraid to reach out

I asked him if he really understood that strange dichotomy of being alone but still belonging—of true belonging

My parents, especially my father, valued being cool and fitting in above all else. I was not cool. I didn’t fit in

I’m doing that thing I do when I’m afraid. I’m floating above my life, watching it and studying it, rather than living it

You are only free when you realize you belong no place—you belong every place—no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great