Paul Scheer

“But not acknowledging my trauma took away my triumph. I survived, and I wanted to make surviving the abuse part of my story. I want to wear my former shame with pride.”
― Paul Scheer, Joyful Recollections of Trauma

“Judging them for what they couldn’t do then, and even what they can’t do now, doesn’t make anything better. Their inaction does not define them because they also did so many great things and I love them both, and I cherish the relationships I have with them. And selfishly, as a parent, I would want some of that slack, too. In case my kids write a tell-all book about me in 2059, I want to instill in them that I’m always going to be there for them, and I’m going to mess up, and when I do, I will be empathetic, I will apologize, and I’ll do better. Most importantly, I’ll keep talking with them until they feel better. So far, it’s working.”
― Paul Scheer, Joyful Recollections of Trauma: A Hilariously Cathartic Memoir-in-Essays of Childhood Turmoil, Self Healing, and Finding Happiness