I Wanted to Be Looked At Properly

Dear Delyara, I wanted someone to look at me properly today. Not stare. Not admire. Not evaluate. Just look at me in that rare way that says: I can tell you’re carrying more than you’re saying. I don’t think people realize how many adults are moving through life without ever really feeling emotionally seen. We are responded to, depended on, spoken to, checked on in practical ways — but not always seen. Those are different things. And tonight I feel the absence of the second one very strongly.