That is the story of my ever-evolving life. I could not sum up an answer to that in this reply; it would be an entire book's worth (or more) of words. I have been writing those answers in several books and articles for many years and as I continue to evolve, I will write the perspectives that are waiting for me somewhere down the road.

I can briefly say, however, that there are two that stand out as cornerstones of my life. One is that old adage, the more I learn, the less I know. The other is that I discovered that my life and I do not need to be reactions to the external events that have happened to me, or the judgmental words of my toxic mother or any others who chose to throw such barbs in my direction.

There is so much to understand in this life, and all of it begins with my willingness to accept and embrace that, and then look inside myself to discover what is there. The more I do that, the more I will discover there is to learn "out there" as well.

thank you for this thought-provoking article, my friend. Wonderful!