We must understand that life is not curated for us, but by us, to some extent. And the rest is a throw of the dice, a gamble, or, in other words, the unknown. Those of us who have ever stood up to a bully know that the risk is great. But the doing of it is a far greater reward than whatever the outcome might be. In my case, the bully was society’s barrier to what I wanted. Pursuing my dream meant that I would have to disclose that I was gay, which did, in some cases, lead to disappointing outcomes. Chasing down women who were identified in some way as possibly willing to have a child with me was, at times, embarrassing, while other times downright deflating. Still, I had to carry on. The metaphorical black eye by the bully at least meant that I had asked the questions, made my intentions known, and spoke up. No matter how many times the response of “no” came back, I regrouped, refreshed, and proceeded.