I'm happy, but I've never been normal. I had an abusive childhood and no friends as a kid. While my junior high peers were at the pool hall, I was tucked in a corner reading Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe. In my early 20's I was with co-workers and drank too much. My depressive thoughts came pouring out and suddenly everyone treated me like I was insane.

Now? Definitely not normal. Rainbow hair, tattoos, piercings, pole dancing. I go to play grounds with my kids and hang upside down from the equipment. I crochet and like bingo. I am unfiltered and say whatever pops into my head. I love picking up wild snakes and dancing while covered in mud. I tried skinny dipping last year.

Oh and I also have mental illnesses. I take 7 pills a day minimum plus cannabis. Sometimes I drink to cope. I have days where I bounce off the walls and days where I want to hurt myself. I see a therapist all the time and I cry at my sessions. Bipolar and borderline feels brutally unfair. I'm still happy. Don't give up.