I was recently talking with my best friend. I don’t remember how we got onto the subject, but I advised her to take her secrets to the grave—bury them somewhere deep, throw away the key, tell no one, and move on with her life. She looked at me and asked, “Are there secrets you’re keeping from me?” Honestly, probably—but I may have forgotten those too. I’ve compartmentalized so much of my life that I’ve locked entire parts of myself away and left them there. When I lost part of my memory a few years ago, I think many of my secrets disappeared with it. It’s like hiding something from yourself so well that eventually, even you can’t find it anymore. These days, I joke that I have selective memory loss. I remember what deeply affects me and whatever else my brain decides is important. Everything else gets filed away somewhere with no apparent retrieval system. I function normally. I handle my responsibilities and perform my job well. But parts of my past feel distant or completely missing,...