Beginning Again

I've gotten a little too lost in the past couple weeks. There were some realities about my community and myself that were abrasive. I'm not the only one who can be hard to handle. There were people who thought I was very strong. Some of them now see weakness. Others see strength that they did not see before but I'm definitely much different. Much more complex. Less robotic. Deeper. I'm glad. But it disappoints me to see how confused and afraid people are. Because I am indeed still me. They don't understand. They find it very frightening. I was numbed out by those drugs, and it gave me a very strong and masculine appearance but a simple-minded lack of depth. While they seem to revel in my insight, they fear what they perceive as weakness, paranoia, and destabilization. At times I've been graphic or abrupt. And me seeing thier fear and hostility has not inspired confidence for me either. 

I need to turn a page. Not with my immediate family. We need to be apart. But with everyone else. Friends, more distant relations, professionals, and the community. I can't keep this intensity so visible. It's not helping. I'm not sure how much I can change at once. I think I know where to start, however.