Today is National Coming Out Day. If you’re heterosexual, don’t click away just yet – I’m not wasting my breath here. Statistically, almost 4% of Americans place themselves on the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) spectrum, so chances are good that you know someone who this day pertains to.

Up until last year, I thought National Coming Out Day was just that – a day where everybody came out of the closet. I didn’t like the idea of it, so I shoved it out of my mind. Then I got bored one day and read more about it, and it turned out that it’s a celebration of who we are and what we have to go through.

Coming out of the closet is almost a rite of passage for members of the LGBTQ+ community. “When?” and “How?” are common first topics of conversation with new friends or significant others. It’s a turning point in our lives, whether things take a momentary turn for the better or worse.

Now, I’m not telling you to enter this day with an “I’m here, I’m queer, deal with it” kind of attitude, but it’s nice to take a day for reflection. Appreciate yourself and how you’ve grown. Even if you’re still in the closet, think about how awesome things will be in the long run. I won’t be cliche and say it gets better, but it does get a little easier.