Thanks for reading and responding kate poole! Yes, what you’re saying is definitely the kind of stuff I was trying to get at with this piece. It’s such a balance, and so easy to fall off on the side of being too fearful or too forceful. I’m looking forward to writing the second installment of this series which will focus on the internal lines of dismissal in our heads/hearts that have to be confronted even as we grapple with the external ones.