I’m No Longer Ashamed That It Still Hurt

Dear Delyara, One of the gentlest changes in me lately is that I’m less ashamed of the fact that some things still hurt. I used to think healing meant I should be completely over everything by now. That my reactions should be smaller, cleaner, more mature, more evolved. I thought lingering pain was proof I hadn’t grown enough. Now I see it differently. Some things matter enough to leave a mark. Some wounds take longer because they touched deeper layers. Some losses keep echoing because they changed the shape of you. I can be healing and still be affected. Those two things are no longer enemies in my mind.