Hi. I read this yesterday and really appreciated it. I highlighted much but don't think I commented. I was quite tired. I began to think of my very first piece of self-expository writing. I call it a self-portrait in essay form. I wrote it in 2013 and published it on Medium in 2020. Your piece put it on my mind. I just added a new note at the top and shared it with my subscribers. My note includes a link to this piece of yours. I also tagged you in case the subscriber emails fail bug infects again.

PS: Had I known so many people would read and clap for this comment…Here’s the note I edited into my story:

“Writer’s Note — October 1, 2023

Do you fondly recall your firstborn? I speak not of children but of personal writing. This is mine and I love it more than anything I have written since. Doesn’t mean it’s my best piece, but it’s damn good, and some of it certainly feels downloaded and foreshadowed much that has followed. I covered a wide range of topics from heavy — substance abuse, depression, suicide, and codependency — to light — love, my children, my favorite foods, and my favorite music and lyrics. A true self-portrait in essay form. The good, the bad, the ugly — and the beautiful. I wrote it in December 2013. Published it on Medium in 2020. As Conni Walkup Hull reminded me yesterday when I read her You Don’t Need Permission to Tell Your Story, You own everything that happened to you, this is my story. A few of you have read it. I share it now with all of my subscribers (at least the ones that Medium will not fail to email) and I hope you enjoy it and get something out of it. I did. It’s my story.”

Now if anyone feels pulled to read my self-portrait: https://medium.com/p/7bdac6f1510e