Many of you know that I suffer from a vision loss that has left me legally blind. For many years I was in denial and was hiding my disability. I only told the people that I trusted. I did not want to be different and stand out because I did not want to admit it to myself that I needed help.

Recently I was listening to some music, and a favorite song came on. Even though I have heard this song many times before, one line of the lyrics jumped out at me. The line reads, “In my own defense, I don’t believe that I was born this complicated.” It made me laugh, and I could not get the words out of my head.

In the past months I’ve had many conversations with a wide range of people, of different ages, different races, different education levels, and different geographical areas. We have covered a variety of topics. There’s a lot to choose from; personal and family situations, the pandemic, the economy, unrest in cities and towns across the country, and even, yes- the weather. But nearly every conversation has something in common: varying levels of anxiety.