You miss her. You want to tell her you miss her. You want to say you feel lost and alone, that you feel like you’re the world’s biggest dunce every morning when you wake up empty-handed and every empty-handed minute before nightfall. But she is not what you need right now. You need to confront, with compassion, whatever it is that led you here. You need to let go of the dreams and fantasies and to root yourself in reality. You need to be and to become the one you need. It’s difficult to let go of what you loved, so be patient

with yourself. Trust yourself. Let yourself be carried in the arms of others as you pick up the tender pieces of your hardened heart. Sadness and grief are a part of the healing. You can and will change for next time. There will be a next time, another chance, another love. It’s hard, but you’re intimate with stubbornness and tenacity. You know pain and heartbreak. Continue and put words on the page through your misty eyes and aching knees. Give oxygen to a soul that is hungry for warmth and fire. Let the tears fall

but don’t let them put out the flame.