About the Author: My name is Ilse Hendriks (47). I started to stutter when I was 7 years old. Throughout my childhood, I received a lot of speech therapy. At that time, the only person I knew who stuttered was my mother, so I felt quite alone with it. I didn’t know anyone else who stuttered until I was 14, when I met another boy with the same challenge. During my school years, I was often told that I should try different kinds of therapy. However, I never did any other therapy and always returned to speech therapy instead. When I finished school, I felt a huge sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. From that moment on, I became more fluent. About five years ago, I discovered that I have cluttering. Suddenly, many things started to make sense. It helped me understand why speaking had often been challenging for me and why speech therapy had only been partly helpful. Learning about cluttering gave me a better understanding of my communication difficulties and of myself.

What is the shade of stuttering? In my opinion, it is the tone of our voice. It is everything that has happened to us since the day we were born.

We all started as cute little babies. We had our layer of baby fat that protected us from the cold while we were still small and fragile. That is simply part of nature and part of our path.

As children, we were full of joy, curiosity, and the potential to become adults. Along the way, we are influenced by the experiences of our parents, the people around us and by the country we live in. For some people, one of these has a big impact. For others, all three play a role in shaping who they become.

I believe we all have a destination in life. There are many ways to get there and every path comes with its own challenges.

Our journey starts with small movements. First, we crawl, we stand up and discover the world around the table. Then we take our first steps with a walker. Later we walk independently through the world and discover the crossroads on our path. Each step takes us a little further into the world. For some people, that world feels safe. For others, it does not. But step by step, we keep moving forward.

The road through life is never easy. Some people face small obstacles, while others have to climb one mountain after another. Yet we all have the natural strength to keep going and overcome what stands in our way. That is how we grow stronger.

The way we face the challenges are different. Some people hide, some fight and some become afraid. These experiences can hurt us, but they also shape us. They become part of who we are.

I really think that everyone who is reading this recognized a part of their own story. Everyone has experienced moments that shaped them.

Just remember that you were once that small child, full of possibilities and with everything you needed to become an adult who can take care of both: yourself and others.

If you ask people about their journey, most of them will have a story that is ready to tell. Listen to them. Smile. Give them some attention. You will be surprised by what you can learn.

When we understand that everyone is walking their own path, it becomes easier to respect one another. Instead of judging, we can appreciate the journey that each person has travelled. If you can accept yourself, including your struggles, your imperfections and the experiences that shaped you, you will see that you are already good enough.

I would love to hear your story, to know about the road you have traveled and how it helped you become the person you are today.

Everyone moves on their own trail. Some people are quick, while others take more time. That is perfectly fine.

This cartoon, made with AI, shows my journey, with its different shapes of stuttering and cluttering, where I went from hiding, to finding my wings and others to fly with.