There are however areas of my life where I have been wholeheartedly guilty of applying a perception fliter to my own actions, sometimes for many years, this can be distressing when reality kicks in

It definitely is sad to wake up from this - but it is better to wake up , than staying asleep for even longer.

Is the above a nod to you being a founding Father here?

Definitely not founding, but definitely on the chain at the start of Hive. On Steem, I was signing of "an original", as all the content is very much original. :)