I get this more than I wish I did. After my divorce, people kept telling me the same thing get back out there, meet someone new, you’ll feel better. But what they don’t tell you is how strange it feels to try to open your heart again when it’s still half asleep. You go through the motions, smile at the right times, talk about your favorite movies, but inside it’s just quiet.
What I figured out, slowly, is that love doesn’t start by forcing it. It starts by coming back to life in small, quiet ways. You start believing again when you stop trying so hard to chase the feeling and just start noticing the little things that make you feel connected laughter that comes easy, a long walk that clears your head, music that makes your chest ache in a good way. Those are the sparks that remind you you’re still capable of feeling.
You don’t have to push yourself to care before you’re ready. You just have to stay open enough so that when something real crosses your path, it has somewhere to land.
Love isn’t gone. It’s just resting, same as you. And when you’re ready, it’ll recognize you again.
