Dear troll

You know who you are. Unfortunately, I don't, as you haven't yet left your name on any of your comments. So, now, I'm giving you the opportunity. You've said a few things that if I were in a more vulnerable frame of mind, could have been extremely upsetting for me, and potentially very damaging. Thankfully, I'm not, so I've let them roll off my back. But what I'm wondering is this - if you genuinely believe all that you accuse me of, why do you continue reading? Have I struck a chord with you? Maybe you recognise something of yourself in what I say, and you're not ready to acknowledge that yet. Maybe not. Maybe your motivation is just to get a rise out of me. I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out what your problem is, because to be honest, it doesn't bother me either way, and your reaction to what I write says a lot more about you than it does me.

You've probably noticed by now that I've started moderating my comments, and none of your most recent gems have been made public. There's sound reasoning for this. I write what I feel, and I put it out there in the knowledge both that a lot of people identify with it, but equally, I'm sure there are others like you who believe it's all an elaborate ruse. What concerns me is other people who read this blog, who may be feeling more vulnerable than I am right now, and how they may interpret your comments. It is for them, as much as for me, that I'm writing this.

So, here's your opportunity. Say what you need to say, and then please, if you've nothing constructive to say in future, say nothing. I welcome debate, I welcome honesty, I do not welcome abuse. I won't be addressing this again and I have nothing further to say to you.