I have this memory of a time many years ago when I almost drowned.

In the moments that followed, sitting alone soaked on dry land; when my deep breathing eased to normal and my heart settled back to normal…

I was struck by the silence and the lapping of the river water against the shore in bright moonlight.

The river just kept doing what rivers do and the world kept on turning regardless of whether I lived or died and in that moment I knew that truth.

This knowledge made it easier to leave home. I left the next day.