Moving On: How my Past Has Shaped me

Who Am I?

Growing up in a tiny religious farm town in the Midwest can have its challenges.
One: when you aren't straight, you think the only other non-straight person you know is your soul mate. But you wouldn't admit that if anyone asks you. You wouldn't even admit it to yourself.
Two: When you aren't cisgender, it can be extremely hard to find people to talk to about it, whether it be friends, therapists, or doctors. But you will find at least one person who accepts you, and they will be your best friend for the rest of your life, no matter how distant you grow.
Three: When you aren't religious, it can be difficult to make friends whose parents don't see you as a bad influence. And no, informing them that your parents never raised you to be religious will not stop them from looking down on you.
So who am I? I am 18 years old. I am a transgender man. I am straight. I am finishing my senior year of high school. I am a taco bell employee. I am moved out of my parents house. I am an animal lover. I am colorblind. I am an only child.
I am so many things, but the most important thing I am is a human. At times I make mistakes more than others. I've made so many mistakes, some I continue to make over and over again. But that is the beauty of the human experience. All we do is fuck up and one by one we die off hoping to have put a little bit of good into the world. And despite all of our mistakes, the world is still beautiful and life is still precious.
It is because of the beauty of our mistakes that I am sharing my stories with you today. My stories may be raw and emotional, or bland with not much description, but it will be my collection of memories that I've always wanted to tell. I can only hope that this will be the beginning of my long put off healing process.