Leo
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board.
Henry David Thoreau
The words that cannot be taken back are usually the ones that needed to be said years ago. You have been carrying this particular truth so long that when it finally came out, it surprised you as much as anyone else in the room. Now you are sitting with the aftermath, which feels both lighter and heavier than you expected. The discomfort is not regret about speaking. It is the strange relief of being known for what you actually think rather than for how carefully you have been editing yourself. What cannot be unsaid was never meant to stay silent.