I love my nom de plume because it means I don’t ever censor myself AT ALL! That being said, I also realize from experience that although I’m not uncomfortable with who I am and what I’m like, many other people are. That’s their issue, but in most cases I refrain from making others uncomfortable anyway because it’s just easier all around. This way, those who like to read what I write can, and those who don’t want to know, don’t have to.

That being said, I’ve so enjoyed being open about who I am here on Medium that I’ve said that once James retires and my mom is no longer alive, we’re going to stop hedging and just live our lives. Both of those are a ways off, so I guess we’ll see. It’s not so much that my mom would judge me; but she would gossip about me mercilessly to her friends and neighbors, and I’d rather not have that to contend with.