The Meaningful Middle

Some stories aren’t extraordinary and loud. They begin slowly with a stranger’s words that can oddly feel familiar. 

It began slowly. An email here and a reply there. Our conversation unfolded with no agenda, urgency, or goal. We were two adults finding words in the quiet corners of the world that promised nothing more than a connection. 

Eventually, it did become something else. A part of a routine and a pause to look forward to. His emails didn’t only carry words, but they also carried his tone, rhythm, mood, and drunkenness. Some days, he was warm, open, and easy to anticipate. And then, slowly, he would retreat to his real world. His tone would change, and his presence would blur. It almost felt like a tide coming closer and pulling away before it reaches my feet.   

One day, he left. No goodbye and explanation. Just a silence that fills every space it’s left in. I didn’t reach out or ask why. I got back to my life like nothing happened. Maybe because I was learning that not every connection owes you an ending. Though his sudden absence did pinch me. 

Weeks later, surprisingly, he did come back. Again, slowly! It was as if an old memory reappeared when you stopped looking for it. His words felt softer this time, his pause longer. And maybe I had changed too because I didn’t read too much into them any more.  

I finally saw him for who he is, and my mind could finally humanize him. It was at that moment that I realized this was my meaningful middle. The part where nothing really happens, yet something inside you shifts unknowingly. You don’t demand permanence, you simply stay long enough to feel something real. 

This time, he didn’t stay, but he didn’t completely leave either. He existed slowly, and so did I! It was a delicate space between arrival and absence. And I guess, that was the point all along!! Some connections are meant to grow slowly, fade slowly, and teach slowly, until you realize they were never really about the other person, but you! 

Until next time,

Love and Kisses

The Queen of Random Things