She Knew I Wasn’t Fine

Dear Delyara, A friend texted me last month and said, “You’ve been quiet in a way that doesn’t feel normal.” That one sentence undid me. I had not told anyone I was struggling. I was still replying just enough, still showing up, still sounding mostly normal. But she heard the absence under the words. She noticed the difference. That kind of friendship changes you. To be noticed before you ask. To be understood before you explain. To be held without performance. I don’t think people realize how healing that is.