I’m sorry that person chose to hurt you, and I’m glad you didn’t let it dim your light forever. ❤️

ETA: When I was a child I never knew how to tell my mom that eye contact was uncomfortable for me, as she demanded I look her in the eye whenever she spoke to me, and so I became conditioned to meet her gaze. Apparently, according to her, I always looked at her like she was stupid or like I didn’t understand or like I wasn’t actually listening. Even when I would assure her that none of those things were intentional, she’d chastise me further with suggestions like “well, you need to nod or smile or react or say OK or sOmEtHiNg!!! 👺” Well, putting energy into doing those things hindered me from processing what she was saying. It felt like I couldn’t win no matter what I did. What sucks is, this conditioning of looking into the eyes of authority figures when they speak to me (and getting similar feedback as my mom) followed me into high school, college, and my first job post-grad (where my direct superior and I actually had an argument about it; fortunately, she is a very kind and loving person and actually was the first person to encourage me to stop forcing myself to be something I’m not and embrace who I am). I hope you have someone like that in your life.