01/03/2024
All of my previous experience with fundraising, let alone crowd-funding, has been on behalf of other people, organizations and causes. This may be partly why I was so reluctant to create one that would specifically benefit me. Who am I to ask for help? Millions of far more pressing matters for the world to attend to. And so the doubts and relative shame come into play- continuing to undermine my progress as a human being.
Asking for help is an exercise I have long-avoided. It occurs to me now that perhaps the deep reluctance to ask has been a stifling factor in other areas of my life. But in the past 48 hours, a handful of truly remarkable people, some of whom I’ve had limited contact with over the years, have stepped up to support me - not only monetarily but emotionally.
My dear friend of years, Dustin, left a message for me yesterday that brought me to tears. Those words had arrived at a time in which they were desperately needed. In fact, I hadn’t known how thirsty I had been for such kindness until that act set off an emotional cascade of gratitude. Nancy K, Caitlin H, and Chris R., your support, likewise, has become something far more than a practical gesture of support: it has become a medicine for a sickness that I hadn’t known previously that I had.
Thank you for making the act of asking for help a safe, revelatory process. Your goodness is otherworldly - and a reminder that love is still sovereign.
Onward!
Dear Supporters, I am reaching out to you with a passionate appeal… Portia Burton needs your support for Help Fuel My Neuroscience Research and Education!