One day, as a young woman sat in her garden, she noticed a cocoon hanging from a nearby branch.

Before long, a small opening appeared in the cocoon. The woman watched for several hours as the butterfly within struggled to free itself from the envelope in which it had recently been transformed.

Then, it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could not go any further.

I don’t fit in. Never have. Maybe never will. And while the "outside" can often be lonely place, there’s also lots to be relished about being a rebel.

It means I can still don purple suede boots, black lace stockings, short skirts, and the jean jacket I embroidered and wore with such pride when I was 13 (it doesn’t matter that it’s literally falling apart at the seams now).

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