I can be deeply useful to people who do not really know me

Dear Delyara, People can rely on you, admire you, praise your strength, thank you for your help, tell you you’re amazing, and still not actually know how your voice changes when you’re low, or what kind of care reaches you best, or where your mind goes when you’re frightened, or how much softness you still need under all the functioning. Usefulness creates a certain kind of closeness. It is not the same as being known. I think that difference has become sharper to me over the years, not softer.