Image Source Triggers are really funny. As much as you try to suppress or look past them, they pop up like scalding hot toast, leaving a burn or two in its wake. If there is a word associated with me, since childhood, or since I can remember, it is 'Brat'. Everyone I knew called me a brat. Family, relatives, friends, teachers and strangers. Of course each one used their own version of the word. I asked too many questions and was rebellious, they said. It will not bode well for me, they said. I'll end up alone and broke, they said. I'll never be successful with this attitude, they said. While they continue to say this, I'm unapologetically living my best life with a successful career and the love of my life by my side. I thought this no longer triggered me. When Collin's dictionary announced their word of the year as 'Brat', all my layers of defense came crashing down. I was faced with all those questions again, but this time I had an answer.
Opinion Writer - Saying it the way it is.