Dear Lily:

I am fine, thank you.

You didn’t do anything wrong, keep saying this to yourself.

Take back those items that you have owned for a few months, you didn’t steal them so don’t act as if you stole them.

Reads like the flatmate who asked you about your ikea knife thought that you may have stolen it from the other flatmate, but is not sure that you did, she suspected-

– but so what? What do you think she is going to do next?

Thoughts are not dangerous, so her thoughts are not dangerous. She expressed those thoughts/ suspicion in words that distressed you, understandably, but her words are not dangerous to your life or physical well-being.

If she physically attacked you, that would be dangerous (but also to her, as she may be kicked out of the dormitories or go to jail, so she is not likely to do that). If she called the police or the prison authorities asking for you to be arrested and spend time in prison- that would be dangerous to you but it highly, unlikely to happen because many people own this kind of knife and there is no proof that you stole it.

So there is no danger to your physical body, to your life or freedom.

Her words, just like her thoughts, have dissipated into the air long time ago and are gone. I suppose looking for someplace else to live, so that you live with fewer people is a good idea, something you have been considering for some time now.

But no matter where you go and where you live, someone will look at you in a way that feels wrong to you, someone will say something distressing to you, and you will have to repeat to yourself: his/ her thoughts are not dangerous. His/ her words are not dangerous when aggressive action doesn’t follow or is very unlikely to follow.

anita