“I’ve learned that the bad doesn’t necessarily disappear once you’ve become accustomed to the good, but it sure does help drown it out. Still, there are times when the darkness shadows the light, and you fall back into the pit of despair that you’ve only recently climbed out of. For me, that happens when I’m the happiest, when I’m full of so much love, pride, and excitement that the fear of losing everything becomes a weight too heavy to bear, forcing me back into my protective shell.”