I have lived with a condition since childhood – an anxiety disorder that makes speaking nearly impossible in certain social situations. As a result, I have spent most of my life alone, even when surrounded by family members. Sometimes I feel lonely and wish for someone who truly knows and understands me.
As a child, when I was alone, I played by myself. I kept things to myself because I did not know who to confide in. If I felt sad, I would whisper comforting words to my own heart. As I grew older and entered schools and later the workplace, these habits followed me.
If silence was my first language, what did it teach me that words never could?
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