My voice has awarded me the freedom, assurance and well-being I lacked when I was younger — luxuries I earned over time and would not give back in exchange for the years. I realized that was the game changer that altered my life, not a birthday.

When a crisis hits we want to put the blame somewhere for the cause. It feels better when we can focus our confusion and anger at a specific reason, or hold someone accountable for our hell. We get a false sense of control that we can affect the outcome if we know why...