There are moments in our lives we can consider pivotal. They define the years to come. They change the course we take. They change our behaviors, actions, and attitude toward the world. And often, at least in my experience, we don't tend to recognize these moments in the present, until we look at it in the past. I had one such moment at 12 years old. A simple statement, after which, everything changed. Two sentences from someone close to me. "You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You are the crap of the world just like everyone else." It is, of course, our choice as individuals who and what we choose to believe. So many things are thrown at us every day, from people we know, from media, from every direction, and it's our responsibility to filter it out. I could have filtered this statement. Seen it for what it was; a tired person being grouchy. We all say things we don't mean when life has worn us out. But I didn't. I committed every detail of