Dear Sarah,

Your quiet determined clarity has proved it works.

Perhaps the trigger for the tears was the sudden grace of kindness, flooding the dry plain of unrecognized emotional starvation from being alone so much and for so long.

And perhaps returning to the land of the living where social interaction is alive and well , brought the associated risks vividly to mind- all the negative things we can experience from trying to be with others as a fellow human, [rather than in helper stance] , that we don't have to deal with when alone.

I have a little rule I follow now, which is when I say 'I don't know' I can follow with 'I do know, and the answer is... '. I learned it in my 20s when a good friend said to me in an abrupt tone - 'Well, let yoursel know! '

There is a lot to know, though- and I do the same step by step dissection and action as you- but the level of interaction between issues makes it impossible to respond to one fully without adjusting other responses in a kind of iterative cycle. But I take my successes as they come- any forward motion is a win.

Best,

Miri