I was definitely not Queer.  Coming out to my husband sounded more like “um, I think I’m attracted to a woman and I don't know what it means...”  I couldn’t say “I’m queer” out loud for almost a year.

A mask is nothing more than a persona, or a way of being in the world that hides what’s underneath. In this case, what's underneath is our tender, luminous, expansive authentic self. There are many reasons we become disconnected from our Authentic Self, or our true identity and some key ways we can begin to take it off.

Maybe asking if we deserve the hardships we have, or the suffering we are experiencing is missing the point of them altogether. Maybe suffering just is and life just happens– and the stories we tell either amplify our suffering, or not. Because my friend, you don’t DESERVE to suffer– yet you will.