I am grateful, and I am still hurt

Dear Delyara, I wish those two things felt less contradictory in me. I am grateful for what my parents gave me. I am still hurt by what they didn’t know how to give. I can see their sacrifices. I can also see their blind spots. I can love them and still leave conversations feeling ten years younger and twice as tired. Maybe maturity isn’t choosing one truth over the other. Maybe it’s learning how to carry both without lying.