#funnyhowlifeworksout

[tickleharmony]

To those who wished me unwell,

Thank you.

And I genuinely mean that.

Because if everything hadn’t happened the way it did, I would probably still be trapped in the same exhausting circles, normalizing the same toxic behavior, tolerating the same fake morality, politics, cliques, performative friendships, and constant emotional drain that I somehow convinced myself was “community.”

And honestly?

I don’t even know how I had the energy for it.

Looking back now feels surreal. Like finally walking out of a room you didn’t realize was slowly suffocating you.

One thing that hit me especially hard was remembering a moment when I had started introducing some people from the community to my family.

My husband looked at me afterward and said, “Wow… I think you’ve lowered your standards.”

At the time, I didn’t fully understand what he meant. I think I was too close to everything to really see it clearly yet.

But after everything that happened, after all the conversations and realizations and truths I finally had to admit out loud, I understood exactly what he was trying to tell me.

And strangely enough, the entire situation ended up creating more honesty, openness, and understanding in my personal life than I’d ever had before.

What felt devastating at the time turned out to be a purge.

A necessary one.

Because losing access to certain people and spaces forced me to finally see them clearly. And once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it.

The illusion cracked.

And after that, so many things suddenly clicked into place.

But the beautiful thing about endings is that sometimes they clear space for better things to finally arrive.

And wow… did they ever.

The quality of people in my life now is something I can barely put into words. The friendships. The kindness. The professionalism. The loyalty. The support. The authenticity. The peace.

No weird social hierarchies. No gatekeeping. No exhausting social theater disguised as connection.

Just real people. Real friendships. Real support.

I think some people genuinely expected all of this to break me.

Instead, my life quietly upgraded itself.

And the funniest part is that if none of this had happened, I would never have met the people who now mean the absolute world to me.

So sincerely…

Thank you.

Some endings are not punishments.

Some are course corrections.

[whyamistillonnetflix]

I was 14 when I met this boy. We were at a dance, and I didn't have many friends there. He came up and asked me to dance. I was nervous. He was cute, a couple of years older than me, but he was nice. He was also just as geeky as I was. We spent the night talking about video games. Well, the school year started, and I had most of my classes with his sister. She quickly became a friend, and sad to say, I forgot about the boy for a few years. I didn't really ever see him again until I was a sophomore. He was a senior. I was severely bullied, had three real friends. That was about it. I had a DS and I would hide at a table in the lunchroom before school. There, I played pokemon. Then one day, the boy from the dance came over with a few of his friends. My crush on him came back, but I never acted on it. By the end of the year, the table had gone from me to twelve people. It was nice. But the boy and his friends graduated. Over the next few years, I talked with him from time to time, but was still better friends with his sister. He then went away. I was at his farewell. Two years later, I was at his homecoming. I didn't think much of it. He had a girlfriend, I was just a friend. A month after he got back, I got really sick. I did my best, but had to quit my job. I couldn't eat. Doctors couldn't figure it out. The boy didn't care. He and a few of his friends included me anyways. We went to movies, played games, they taught me how to play tabletop role play games. For being sick for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, they made it bearable. Doctors eventually figured out what was wrong, and after a surgury, I got better. I got a new job, got things prepared for school, and started getting along as if everything were normal. Sadly, I didn't see much of the boy after that. 4th of July came around, and I decided to bother him. He and a friend joined me for fireworks. There was a moment where I wanted to kiss him, but I shook it off. He still had a girlfriend, and I knew I was just a friend. It didn't bother me like it did when we were in highschool. A few months later, school started up. College was nice. I saw the boy every week. We even had a class together. We would hang out more and more, and I was happy. Then one week, our friend confessed that he liked me. And not even a day later, 5 other guys in my classes also confessed. I complained to the boy, quickly figuring out that he was hiding something and so, he also confessed. It took several months after that, but the boy and I were officially dating. Things were good. And then I got a job opportunity in another country. He insisted it would be fine, that it would be good, but I didn't want to leave him. I ended up turning down the offer. It wasn't an easy choice. Four months later, May of 2015, We both had a day off and went to the Zoo. The boy wasn't acting like himself. He was far quieter than normal, and wasn't as clingy as he usually was. Honestly, two options were going through my mind. He could have just been feeling sick.. Or he could be planning on breaking up with me. It wouldn't be the first time a guy did that to me in such a way. I tried to push away the thoughts and tried to enjoy myself. It wasn't easy. We were in the reptile house, one place I could forget my worries. Snakes and lizards always have been my favorite. The center of the building was designed to be like a walk through the jungle. Birds were free to fly around, an iguana was around for people to pet, a sloth hung out in a little hammock, and giant tortoises wandered around with a bridge going over a little 'stream'. It was always beautiful. The boy left my side for a moment when I was distracted by some colorful birds. He called my name, and I turned to watch him kneel down on one knee, holding a rupee ring box. He opened it to show a simple, yet stunning ring with a saphire on it. He wasn't quiet because he was sick or planning a break up. He was quiet because he was nervous. I wasn't expecting to get married at 21, but the boy I met at the dance 7 years ago was someone willing to work with my imperfections, my flaws, my weaknesses. I couldn't ask for someone better. He is my best friend and will soon be my husband for time and all eternity.