Psst! Hey, you! Yeah, you, the sweet and sensitive girl with laughing wrinkles in the corner of her eyes. The girl who's cheeks flush whenever someone says her name. I know you feel some pain behind that quiet demeanor. And I know you feel endless amounts of love behind that reserved face of yours. I know you feel lots of things that you don't always show, and I know that being sensitive in such a fast-paced world can leave you feeling left behind, but I promise you that you're emotions do not make you weak.
I'm like you. I think too much and say too little and sometimes I feel like my body can't contain all the thoughts and feelings that are swirling around inside me. And I know how frustrating it can be to feel so deeply, especially in a world where so many things are temporary, but don't be angry at yourself for being a sensitive soul.
You are so incredibly special because when you love, you love fully and wholeheartedly. You don't cut corners or only dip your toes in the water, you dive right in, fully immersing yourself into the things and the people that you love. And caring to that depth can be such a blessing, but it can also be dangerous for people like us. As is the way of the world, the people we place in our hearts don't stay there forever, and for us sentimentalists, saying goodbye can be one of the hardest parts of life.
Goodbyes are devastating for big-hearted people like you and me. When sensitive souls love something, or someone, or a combination of the two, we don't want to let go. We want to hold on forever and keep the things we love close to our hearts. But, for better or for worse, the things we love aren't permanent. Life is a series of evolvement. We grow into new molds, shed our old skins, develop in a million little ways every day, and the things we love can't always keep up with us. They're changing and evolving and growing, too. And when those crossroads come and we must journey down a different path from the things we love, we have to let go.
It's going to hurt, yes. Being sentimental, we like to hold onto things, to keep them safely tucked under our wing away from harm, but the things and the people we love are not ours to manage. They are free spirits, just like you, and it would be more painful to try and hold each other back when your lives take different routes than to just let go.
The distance is painful, yes. That comfort that you held close to your heart leaves an empty space, but remember what I said: things aren't permanent. The pain is only temporary. As you continue to grow, you'll find new loves, new joys, and new desires. You'll plant seeds in the open spaces of your heart as you explore, and they will grow and flourish into new comforts that will blossom and create beauty in your life. They won't replace the loves you left behind, but they'll remind you that your heart is so big that there's enough room in it for all kinds of people and places and things.
Goodbyes are the worst tragedies for those of us with sentimental hearts, but we can ease the pain by knowing that life doesn't have any endings, only new beginnings. We may have to leave the places we love or say goodbye to the people we hold most dear or give up the things that we believe to define us, but this life is too grand to be spent in one place. Physically we have to say goodbye at least once every so often, that's just how life is, but you have to understand that the memories and the experiences that we've gained from those that we love will remain with us forever no matter how far apart our paths may wander.
And sometimes, if you're very lucky, your old loves will be waiting for you at the next crossroads, eager to take a place in your growing and flourishing heart again. Yes, it's true that nothing is permanent, but the things that really matter always have a way of finding us again.
