I miss being the person someone checks on without needing a reason first

Dear Delyara, There is a certain kind of loneliness that comes when people assume competence has replaced the need for tenderness. I function, so I must be fine. I manage, so I must not need much. I carry, so I must be built for carrying. Sometimes I want to be the person someone thinks of before I have made my sadness legible enough to qualify. Not because they’ve spotted disaster. Because they know I live a life with weight in it and care does not always need a visible emergency. I think that is what I miss most. Unprompted softness.