Too funny Perna. Your sense of humour is clearly a source of great healing and strength. I am inspired to be so self accepting.

I think you nailed something of why I get upset when someone who should know better buys into the fear and makes comments that suggest they don't feel safe around me. They know me or at least I thought they did. I am forgiving because I know it is ignorance but still it hurts me when they show how little they really do know me.

I was at a gathering one time when someone started throwing a hundred questions at me in front of a group of people when she heard I was bi polar. How she heard I have no idea but she were intrigued I guess. Do you hear voices? Do you have black outs? Do you separate from your body? Do you see dead people?

She had heard little bits of this and that about various mental disorders and were tossing labels at me left and right. Eyes were popping in great excitment with my answers even though I was clearly not comfortable with her inquisition. When I stopped my yes or no answer and tried to walk away she held my arm and kept throwing questions at me and rolling off commentaries to show off her 'knowledge'. I was not human to her or to anyone listening to her. I was like someone in a freak show that they couldn't resist staring at. It was so humiliating. When I finally got away I just ran to my car and cried all the way home. Some of those people were my friends. Or at least they said they were my friends. No one came after me. No one saw it for what it was. They were oblivious to my feelings. People can be so stupid sometimes.

A Perna zinger would have been useful in that situation. Image the looks; the saucer eyes and fly catching mouths if I'd had one of your quick witted lines on my lips to give them in that moment.

I need to learn to not let people get to me and turn the tables on people instead.