Passion and desire and shame and sadness don’t signal that you have to change everything immediately, though. These are sensations that don’t require solutions. Your primary job, in the face of renewed lust for life, is to tolerate the shame of joy.

Because embarrassment is sometimes just a sign that you’ve never lived out in the open before, you’ve never cared more about a feeling than you care about how you’re coming across, you’ve never prioritized happiness over control.

This is why it’s good to take risks that might embarrass you regularly. Because every time you dare to embarrass yourself for the sake of who you are, you’re teaching your body to prioritize joy. You’re teaching yourself to let go of seeming better than the things you love. You’re showing yourself how to feel where you are — to soak in the cool fall air, to breathe in the moon, to love every lopsided moment of your glorious, flawed life.

"All 13 of Seraj's family members are displaced for the 5th time since October 7th. They had moved back home but had to flee on March 18th with nothing. Though they're sheltered, they still need wood and nylon to build a makeshift bathroom, water for drinking and cleaning, firewood for cooking and warmth, and flour, vegetables, and other food items."

"A world without trans people has never existed and never will"

Walt Whitman, ‘Song of Myself’, Leaves of Grass