On Being Real (From Someone Who’s Been Faking It)

Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash

I stumbled onto some words the other day that stirred me.

Do you feel real to yourself or do you not exist unless another person affirms your existence for you? (from Yumi Sakugawa)

I stared at the screen blankly, yet bewildered.

Do I feel real to myself? Do I need other people’s affirmations of my existence to believe I do…