It’s interesting that you added that you were african american at the end there. I’m 30yo, Honduran-American (100% Honduran blood but basically whitewashed), gay, and I have adhd + depression diagnosis. I’ve gone through a lot of transformation recently, specifically when it comes to authenticity. For me, self-confidence and self-love are real drivers to living a happy life. All the things that marginalize me, also make up my character and give me a unique pov to the world. Learning where I fall short (compulsive lying, addiction, bad spending habits, etc) also helps me realize that I’m just like everyone else (imperfect and insecure, but talented). Our stutter is a unique disability and may hard to hide, but remember that there’s no such thing as a disability when you take out societal pressures. Your stutter, just like everything else about you, IS who you are. And you wouldn’t be you without it. So people can just take it or leave it, and if you struggle to say “thank you” before leaving that shop and now you feel like they think you’re rude, let them. You know? You know you weren’t being rude, and your opinion of yourself matters more than anyone else’s.