I wanted to feel known without having to perform depth

Dear Delyara, I think part of what tires me in connection now is the sense that I have to either stay surface-level or become deeply articulate in order to feel met. What I want is simpler than that. I want ordinary knowing. The kind where someone already understands the continuity of you. Your usual tone, your unusual silence, the difference between your “I’m tired” and your real I’m tired, the context around your mood without needing a full briefing every time. That kind of knowing feels rare. And when it’s absent, even pleasant social contact can leave me lonely.