The whole “you’re allowed to leave” thread hit me in all the feels. It reminds me of many many times in my life where I felt uncomfortable yet compelled to stick it out.

When I was 16, I quit school. My mom told me I had to go to college or get a job. I didn’t know at the time that I was suffering from agoraphobia, which had been my reason for dropping out. So college seemed intimidating, since it was right back into the same situation I’d left.

I opted to get a job, which she said I’d have to do either way since I had to pay my car insurance. I searched the classifieds in the newspaper since that’s what we did in the 90s. It was tough to find a place willing to hire a 16 year old.

There was nothing, except this one place called Artworks. I loved art and it appealed to me right away. They were looking for young people with a car looking for an opportunity to work in the “art world.” Exciting.

It said to show up at this warehouse in a warehouse district at 9am sharp on a Monday. I was extremely nervous and terrified of the people and being out around strangers but I had no choice. When I arrived there were a handful of applicants and several long haired grunge bros.