This is hardly favorable to admit, but reflection and truth require this admission. Looking back on it now, it’s no wonder I felt so tired all the time. It was like a “year of yes” all over again - only longer and less favorable somehow.

Can I tell you something a bit uncomfortable, Wilderness? I am black. That is not the uncomfortable thing. The thing is, in my experience, black people are not wilderness people. Life is hard enough without trying to make it so.

I grew up in a rather proper household with manners for miles and all sorts of norms that we did not seem to share with our peers. One aspect of that involved a seemingly endless list of things that we didn’t talk about outside of our immediate family and another equally long list of things we didn’t talk about at all.

The fact of the matter is that no one is perfect. We all come with quirks and baggage. The people that you can sit down and unpack it with while being your most authentic self, those people become your community, and in a deeper sense, your family.