or: A Love Letter to the Warriors of Softness

You don’t let people in easily.
Not because you don’t want to.
But because you’ve seen what happens when you do.

You’ve held the weight of broken promises.
You’ve carried the silence of people who left without a word.
You’ve stitched yourself back together so many times
that now your seams feel sacred.

And yet —
you still want to believe.
In love.
In kindness.
In someone who sees past your armor
and knows how to knock gently.

You’re not cold.
You’re not distant.
You are deeply tender — but only for the ones who prove they deserve your truth.

So keep your fire.
Keep your boundaries.
And when the right soul comes,
you’ll recognize them not by what they say —
but by how your nervous system exhales in their presence.

You are not too much.
You are not too guarded.
You are wise.