It turns out that without the sanctuary of this space, I feel exposed. I hadn’t expected that, but I understand it. This is not a place where I am judged—or, if it is, the judgments people make don’t have the power to hurt. In every other space in my life right now, I’m trying to prove something, and am only partly succeeding. It’s okay with me that I stumble. It’s okay with me that I am not yet perfect. I accept it as a consequence of experimentation, and believe in my own courage. But maybe, at least for the moment, I still need one small corner where no one expects anything of me but what I choose to give.