ben999

I think I've been doing things wrong for the past few years. At this point I'm not sure how to do things right. I feel very nostalgic for six or seven years ago. Not that I was always happy back then, there were many times when I wasn't, but things were different, better in some ways.

I'll never live the American dream cliche, with the family, the house in the suburbs, and the white picket fence. Now I realize that there are many, many people who will never live that life, and really I don't think I'd be happy living that way. But there are certain expectations that society places on us that don't know I'll ever meet, and if you don't hit those benchmarks, you're often viewed as a failure. I can't drive, and it's likely that I never will. I have two "real life" friends. One is my girlfriend, the other I rarely see. I'll probably never live completely independently. I have a mental illness that is often seen as scary. These things wouldn't bother me nearly as much if there wasn't such a stigma attached to them. Don't misunderstand me. I know I have it easier than a lot of people, and I'm grateful for what I do have going for me. I just wish some things were different.