Because apparently inner peace is nice, but have we considered advancing the plot? 😭 Everybody is always saying “protect your peace,” “leave the past behind,” and “don’t reopen closed doors,” meanwhile you’re staring at their contact at 1:47 in the morning thinking, okay but what if I made one catastrophically unnecessary decision for character development? 😭 Maybe you don’t need another lifetime. Maybe you need to type “I miss you,” stare at it for twelve minutes, send it, immediately throw your phone across the room, pick it back up eight seconds later, and discover they’re typing. Ask the question you’ve been advised by several emotionally stable people not to ask. Reappear in somebody’s life like an unresolved subplot. Tell someone the opinion you’ve been keeping to yourself and then conveniently become unavailable for follow-up questions. Obviously, this is funny precisely because most of it is absolutely terrible advice. 😭 If somebody has asked for space, respect it. Don’t deliberately interrupt someone’s healing, harass someone who wants no contact, or repeatedly provoke a person who clearly doesn’t want you in their life. Sometimes the mature decision really is to leave the door closed, put the phone down, and accept that not every feeling requires an action. But I understand the impulse behind the joke. Sometimes we’re so terrified of looking foolish that we leave important things permanently unsaid. There are moments where swallowing your pride and sending an honest, respectful message is worth it. Not “I’m here to destroy the emotional stability you’ve spent six months rebuilding,” but maybe, “I’ve been thinking about you, and if you’re open to talking, I’d like that.” Then you let them choose. Because “do it in this lifetime” doesn’t have to mean creating chaos everywhere you go. Sometimes it simply means having enough courage to say what you genuinely feel while you still have the opportunity—and enough maturity to accept whatever answer comes back. But the unhinged 1:47 a.m. paragraph? Maybe draft that one and revisit it after breakfast. 😭 - @empty.glances