My childhood is really coming on strong today. I was emotionally abused by my mom and by most of the neighborhood kids at home and at school.

The kids all called me the usual names, but the one that is haunting me today is "weirdo". As an adult in my 50's I should be over this by now, but I am weak.

Maybe I'm alone in this. I could live with "eccentric", but "weirdo" hurts, still hurts. It is amazing to me how words that mean essentially the same thing can feel so different.

Decades have gone by and those kids still stab me.

Thanks for listening.