I remember the absolute rage I felt when people told me time heals. It wasn't just inaccurate, it felt like a betrayal of everything I was experiencing. I used to think 'healing' meant going back to who I was before, like a clean slate. It doesn't. It's building a new life with all the scars and the knowledge they imprinted, learning to carry it all with more grace than I thought possible, some days even with a defiant joy.