“Distance isn’t the amount of miles between us; it’s the amount of things we don’t say to each other…”
I’ve come to deeply understand this in the last few months.
The things we don’t say to each other have the power to separate us. They have the power to make us feel as if we were on opposite ends of a spectrum, with no way of bridging the gap to meet again.
There is so much loss in that. So much regret that could take over and change the course of our histories.
Physical distance from someone special is one thing, but being emotionally and intellectually distant from that person is its own kind of torture. Because there are no clear maps to reducing that distance.
This isn’t about living in the moment and saying anything that comes to mind, nor is it about seizing every opportunity to speak. This is a topic for another conversation, but for now, it’s about ensuring that we don’t fall into the trap of never saying something out of fear.
Fear is the architect of silent distance. It builds walls with our unspoken words and fills the space between us with what we assume the other person is thinking, feeling, or needing. However, assumptions are poor substitutes for honest conversation.
Perhaps the courage to close emotional distance isn’t found in grand gestures or perfect timing but in the simple act of saying what needs to be said—even when our voices shake, even when we’re unsure how it will be received.
The alternative, after all, is the slow drift into strangers who once knew each other well.
