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From: Pam
Date: 06 Oct 2009
Time: 12:49:05 -0500
Remote Name: 163.153.6.70
Wow, this really moved me. I had been covert for more than 3o years, until I finally decided I had had enough of the hiding and not being true to myself. Social punishment can drive us to dothings we wished we hadn't in regards to stuttering. I was fired froma job because I had the audacity to stutter publicly. What I havew learned since then (3 years) has helped become the person I am today. I resent myself to the world as a person who stutters (most of the time)and I confront and reflect on my feelings. And like you, I deal with fear. Fear of the shame creeping back in any time unexpectedly, fear of being alone, fear of being mis-understood. But I am not afraid to admit that fear anymore. It is human to have fears. It is so much easier to admit upfront that I stutter - lets me off the hook right away, and you're right - no one really cares. They all have thier own agendas. All the things you describe - honesty, voluntary stuttering, taking risks - are things I have done and feel mostly good about. Thanks for such an inspriring paper. When we talk and share our stuttering experience, we make our world and our little corner of the world a much better place.