You & Me

by Tal Bauer

“I can see your dedication in the lines of your face. Your work ethic in the cut of your jaw. I know you love life when I see you smile, and even when you’re not smiling, the laugh lines show you’d rather be. I know you’re a father when I look into your eyes, and I know you’re a good one when I see those eyes are kind. When you’re you, you light up, and all these different parts of you combine, and everything that you are bursts free. You’re like color exploding in a black-and-white world.”

“It’s easy to throw words around when it’s just the two of us, but it’s completely different when you’re facing the world. What are you going to tell people when they ask? Your friends. Your family. Your coworkers. Your boss. Are you ready for a lifetime of being different? Coming out isn’t a one time thing. It’s every person for the rest of your life. It’s thinking twice about who you should let close and who you shouldn’t. It’s justifying yourself and your existence over and over again. It’s losing friends and family members and being alone.”