let it go

I found this post from @haileypaigemagee, and it brought something into focus that I was thinking about after I shared my suicide loss story publicly for the first time last weekend. * I went home to Plymouth, N.C., to participate in Be Here Tomorrow, a suicide awareness and prevention event organized by my long-time friend and classmate, Lori Armstrong, and featuring her big brother, Victor (@1of2vics), as keynote speaker. * Lori started with introductions, and then it was my turn to speak. I got good feedback, but I definitely learned about how to be a more engaging speaker from watching Victor, whose keynote speech was next. He's so dynamic! Everyone in the audience was immediately drawn in to what he was saying, and remained rapt throughout. * I'm not afraid of public speaking, but I'm primarily a writer. Although having a well-written script helps, I saw how sticking strictly to a script keeps a distance between you and the listeners. "Perfectionism is the enemy of authenticity." When I approached my speech as a piece in which every word was exactly where it belonged, it didn't come across as authentic. I wasn't speaking from the heart in the moment. I was reading my story, not telling my story. * What I've learned since losing Rader to suicide is important, and I want to share it well. Thank you to Lori for the opportunity to be part of an outstanding event, and to Victor for his example. Thanks to both of you for the chance to grow and make even more of a difference. ❤️ 💙 💛 #beheretomorrow #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #PlymouthNC #perfectionism #authenticity

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