Sincerely, Jen

I trust the timing. ⏰

Being understood is more intimate than being loved.

On a special day, I received flowers.

They were beautiful.
The kind people post about. The kind you expect on days that are meant to be celebrated. And I was grateful. Truly.
I smiled. I thanked him.
I placed them in water like I always do.

But if I’m being honest, I knew I would receive flowers.

What I didn’t expect was the note.

It was small. Almost an afterthought.
Just a few words written neatly,
nothing poetic, nothing profound.

“Don’t let the dull days keep you from enjoying your life.”

It was cliché.
Maybe even more cliché than the flowers.

But I cried.

Not because of the roses.
Not because it was a special day.
I cried because in those few simple words,
I felt seen.

He didn’t write about how strong I was.
He didn’t call me beautiful.
He didn’t list the things I do well.

He named the dull days.

The ones I don’t talk about much.
The quiet exhaustion.
The pressure I pretend I can handle.
The way I’ve been moving through life lately,
not sad, not dramatic,
just tired.

Tired in a way that doesn’t show in photos.

Somehow, in one ordinary sentence,
he acknowledged the part of me I’ve been trying to carry quietly. The part that keeps going
but doesn’t always enjoy it.
The part that feels heavy
but doesn’t know how to explain why.

It wasn’t grand. It wasn’t romantic.
But it was specific.

And being understood in something so small felt more intimate than any bouquet ever could.

I’ve been loved before.

But that day, I felt known.