I've spent a huge percentage of my adult life learning about how to carry emotion in a healthy way. I've been figuring out how to change the way my body responds to emotions such as grief, anxiety, love, joy.

To know what the wind feels like on your skin, what it smells like in your nose and tastes like on your tongue, you need focus. To notice how your eyelashes look like rainbows in the right light with the right amount of squinting, you need presence.

There is a moment after she tells her story when she smiles and says "My mother granted me the opportunity to enter this temple. Even today, I thank her for her mercifulness and her compassion for allowing my pursuit of the freedom."

It's been almost half a year since I left my life.