Thank you, Alison. This is fascinating. I didn't twig on it while I was writing my piece, but it's very true that I don't think the people closest to me would be interested in most of what I write. My husband already knows the story about my life in the cult in the 80s and 90s, and he also knows about the life we share with the dogs. My brother and I love each other when we are together but that is so rare and we live separate lives. Right now, we have some conversations about what to do with our 85-year-old Mom to keep her safe. She has pretty much lost what was left of her sanity. And, that's it. I have a couple of superficial "friends" from work, and a bunch of acquaintances. I am starting to feel like the community on Medium, like you, for example, "get" the writer me from my work. Thanks for reading, commenting, and most of all for publishing this in AE!