Hi community, I am new here. My name is Maria Leonardo. I have been having a depression on and of for ages and I still keep pushing myself everyday because I believe that life can get better. Sometimes I am light like a feather, sometimes heavy as a massive rock and the integration process, of both light and shadow, has been hard for me to embrace.. When does the character development - in the shape of acceptance - stop? Do we have to learn the same lessons over and over again? I am here because I am tired of caring old patterns specially when it comes to intime relationships, being the hopeless romantic. I embrace change. I have been traveling around the world, looking for answers and happiness , but happiness comes from within and I cannot find it still. I lost my family in 2024, and it has been a struggle. The sense of belonging is far away and I'm tired, want to ground myself. I'm an art and language teacher, love helping others, I am a photographer, a PhD candidate finishing my studies next February. I learnt this year how to ride a bike. I'm Portuguese living between Portugal and China. If you want to connect, be the stranger that becomes familiar.