Getting thru college was a kind of a really big one for me, and looking back I never really to celebrate myself for it. It took me 7 years to actually get that thing over with.

Much of the time spent in college was with what you'd call leftists-- not a proud moment for me (especially as a professional) looking back at it now but this phase of my life is a big one in terms of character development. I come from a middle-class family and there I was gradually stripping myself off of who I really am just to "proletarianize" myself. I was slowly killing my relationship with my family (secrets had to be kept!), hurting a lot of my friends (who were ironically very supportive of me), failing miserably at school, and gravely worsening my medical condition.

It took a while before I finally got my brain guts together and quit such a toxic system/network. It took an even longer while to "fix" myself. I was essentially a living breathing version of the characters Winston Smith lived with from George Orwell's 1984. This lifestyle I used to be so into is essentially cancer- you do not get to simply walk out the front door- you had to undergo major reformation of the belief systems and worldviews you've preached and practiced for more than half a decade.

This was as much a win as it is a loss for me, as after this I practically didn't know who I was. The rebuilding part was hard especially knowing I had to stop interacting with a lot of people I got so much acquainted with. I kept to myself so much that it got to a point where I stuttered heavily and had a very hard time articulating my thoughts. 

I guess what I actually want to celebrate are the folks who were very loving and very patient with me. I flinged around a lot of very hurtful words and yet there they were, sticking around and checking every now and then to make sure that I actually get myself up and continue growing/living. I'm still in the process of getting back on track and I do not know what muck I'd be in had I not had them.