#anencounter

“Thinking back on my childhood and my favourite memories there’s always one memory that sticks out in my mind. I talked about this memory to my parents many times. I remember being really, really young and going to the beach with my family. We all held hands and ran along the beach and chased each other. There was something so peaceful and relaxing about that memory that I just loved. When I told my parents that that was my favourite memory they told me that that never happened. It was a dream that I had.” A.L.

“The hardest thing that I have had to endure is a tough question because I feel like I’ve been very blessed in my life. I haven’t had to go through some of the struggles that I know other people endure. It’s something I see in my job every day. I don’t know how I would make it through some of the situations that others progress through. In my mid-twenties I lost a cousin in a really terrible car accident. She was pregnant. She was on her way home from the hospital, ready to give birth any day. She was hit by another vehicle who was speeding. She lost her life and the baby lost his life. That was probably one of the toughest things I’ve been through but I was lucky that I had family support all around me to help me through it.” A.L.

“I struggle with thinking that everybody is looking at me and thinking ‘What the hell is wrong with her?’. If I wore a certain piece of clothing they would be judging me some way or say ‘oh shit she’s really fat’ or ‘she’s really ugly’. I guess I am not confident. I struggle with body positivity and self-esteem issues. I always have something in the back of my mind thinking that they are laughing or that they are talking about me. Even if I say something out loud in class and nobody listens to me I think ‘Oh shit I fucked up’ and I’ll get mad at myself. There’s always this part of me that thinks that everybody is judging me. I am afraid to go out of my comfort zone because I don’t know what they are going to be thinking.” L. P.

“Cutting off friends because you know they are bad, but you don’t want to lose them. You know that inside of them they’re the kindest people ever but who they are and what they do with their lives is going to affect you and bring you down the wrong path. You have to cut them off and stop talking to them so you don’t ruin your life and go down with them.” L. P.

‘I wish I was a cat.’ 'A cat is your role model?’ 'Yeah. Most of the time they don’t get hurt.’ Anonymous