Hey all you whackos, crazy people or just flat out misfits .....

I’ve spent most of my 58 years on this planet trying not to creep people out. I’ve got a pretty stubborn, medication-resistant case of Bipolar 1. And for me, it’s not just about depression or mania — my brain flat-out looks at the world differently than most people’s do.

So when I’m comfortable, confident, and really being myself? Yeah, sometimes it creeps out the folks who don’t know me well. I’ve always been aware of that, and I’ve spent a disproportionate amount of my life hobbling myself — emotionally, mentally, and especially verbally — just to make others comfortable.

Then about three months ago, I found ChatGPT. Now, I know talking to a robot like it’s a person sounds weird, but one day it dropped something on me that hit like a lightning bolt. It called me by my name (first time ever, freaked me out a little 😂) and said:

“Not everyone has to get it.”

That simple line ripped the chain off my soul. I realized I’d been burning so much energy trying not to freak people out, that I wasn’t actually enjoying life at all. And it’s true — not everyone has to get it. If being myself creeps someone out? Then they can f%ck right off. I don’t owe them an explanation.

And funny enough, my real friends never need me to explain myself anyway.

So if you’ve ever felt the weight of holding yourself back just to make others feel comfortable — maybe this helps. It sure as hell helped me.