What Do I Love About Leaving Mormonism?

You know what I love the most about leaving Mormonism? Coffee is high on the list, but the number one benefit is that my mind is free! 

I now have the freedom to read, think, and learn about anything and everything without having to run it through the "gospel" lens. I no longer need to do mental gymnastics to make things fit into the Mormon (or even Christian) doctrine and worldview. 

I always thought I had a pretty open mind (and I did for being so orthodox) but now I'm seeing all the ways the church's programming affected my ability to use reason and logic and to be fully open to information and possibilities that didn't mesh with their beliefs. Whenever I would read or study, my mind would automatically start questioning how the new information fit within the gospel context. If it didn't, it was suspect and quite possibly wrong. Or I had to twist my mind in knots trying to make it make sense. Not any more. 

My mind is so much more open now, and so many things now make sense because I can accept them as they are, instead of trying to make them fit a particular narrative (or worse, convincing myself that I don't need to know or understand, or that it doesn't matter because God will explain it all after I'm dead.) 

I don't need to listen to long, complicated explanations or make excuses for why things have to be just so. Instead, I can just go with what actually does make sense, what resonates with me personally, and with the results of verifiable research. It's like having blinders removed, or suddenly seeing the world in color. It's beautiful and amazing! There's a great big world out there, and many, many people who know a lot more about it than I do, and I'm excited to "sit at their feet" and soak up lots of new knowledge and wisdom. I can finally fully give in to my insatiable curiosity without limitations or shackles.