Hi! I know you have wonderful intentions but I hate being called “inspirational”. I think I find it more cringe-worthy as I had breast cancer and it makes my eyes roll when people tell me I am an inspiration. In my mind, we are dealt with whatever life throws at us and you either deal or you don’t deal. Everyone has issues - stuttering is just one that cannot be hidden with good makeup or the right clothes. Plus I think of my mother - she was diagnosed with parasupranuclear palsy in her mid30s and passed when she was 60. It’s kind of like Lou Gehrig’s but a neurological disorder rather than a muscular disorder. Her el dopamine levels were out of whack, so it’s lumped with Parkinson’s as far as research and support. I never heard her complain, she kept a clean house and cooked most of the meals. And when she went out, she made sure she was very well made up. Reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor towards her end when she was wheel chair bound and all glammed up. That was my mom. Now, that is inspirational. I appreciate your comment and not trying to be a bitch at all but I guess just wanted to provide a different perspective. I have one friend in particular who tells me how inspirational I am to her and I just grin and bear it. Unless someone is completely wrong, I never shut any one down IRL if they have good intentions. Edit: I do love your comment about how sad someone’s life is when they judge everything so negatively. I am not at work so don’t have access to my wall of quotes but one is something like this: you cannot have a positive life with a negative mind. And I hope I did not come across as a Debbie Downer. I know stuttering can lead to frustration and depression and I try to share my positivity with people (hard to do sometimes online). I think it’s especially hard when you are young and just starting out on your own. I hope my comments did not make anyone feel bad but wanted to provide a different perspective.