I wonder why I isolate myself so significantly from those around me. Why I satisfy questions with mere superficial facts and feelings. Why I try to desperately hold it all together. Why am I so against falling apart?
And then I remember that in many ways, I am content. I am protected. I am comforted. I am blessed with gifts. I have been given reason for joy, gratitude, and peace. I am not alone. My smile, which I think just may be a mask, really does have reason to exist.