writing here, and thinking as I respond to the comments you kind folk have been making, it's feeling a lot like my post was the initial knife wound that opens an encysted injury or a boil, and every comment and conversation that follows, holds the incision open a little longer and lets the poison drain out a bit more.

it's scary to open myself like this, because you never know if someone might react poorly (I didn't link to this post on FB, unlike several of my others for LJ Idol) but actually, being fearless isn't not-feeling fear, it's feeling the fear and doing what you need to do anyway.

Thank you for your sympathy and understanding.