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About Me — T.O. Bloom
Reflections on life and love, and the courage to change
When I consider writing “about me”, I am compelled to consider: who was I then, and who am I now? What happened in between to mold me into the person I am today? So I ought to start from the beginning.
From what I’ve been told, as a little girl I had a pretty calm and happy temperament. I was a bit shy and introverted, and often got involved in my little world of pretend play that seemed to focus on the idea of “relationships”. I remember having weddings for my stuffed animals and making little books with crayon pictures of happy families having birthday parties and going camping. I’m not sure where I got these notions of happy family life. Indeed, my mom always did her best with birthday cakes and candles, and my dad did occasionally take us camping.
From the outside, we looked like the perfect little 1970s family of five, well-dressed, in a modest house with the classic white picket fence and a station wagon in the driveway.
When I reflect on the past and attempt to understand my family, I know now that I grew up amidst a lot of tension. I didn’t even fully realize this until I was in my 20s. My mother was controlling and prone to emotional outbursts when things didn’t go her way. My dad wasn’t around much and (according to my mom) he…
