There is something especially painful about grieving something that was never officially yours, because the heart still experienced it as real. And I think that distinction matters so much: the relationship may never have existed, but the hope, the attachment, and eventually the grief absolutely did.
Thank you — “the heart still experienced it as real” is exactly the distinction I wanted to protect. There was no relationship to end, but there was still an entire future my heart had already begun living toward. I’m grateful you named that grief without reducing it to imagination.
Beautifully captured. Thank you for this. 🫶
There is something especially painful about grieving something that was never officially yours, because the heart still experienced it as real. And I think that distinction matters so much: the relationship may never have existed, but the hope, the attachment, and eventually the grief absolutely did.
Thank you — “the heart still experienced it as real” is exactly the distinction I wanted to protect. There was no relationship to end, but there was still an entire future my heart had already begun living toward. I’m grateful you named that grief without reducing it to imagination.
Absolutely. And thank you for trusting me with the meaning behind these words. 🫶