I used to love everyone. Absolutely everyone. It was an all-consuming, private intensity, and my heart shattered each time I witnessed someone slowly destroy themselves. They would welcome sadness without a fight, making choices that they knew would hurt them just to feel alive. I found everyone so endearing, with their humanity spilling out in every gesture.

As we all aged, my heightened perception became a curse. I gave myself away to everyone I met, believing they needed my heart more than I did. Now, no one would understand that. They probably think I’ve always been cold and distant, incapable of understanding affection or pain, but that’s far from the truth.

Over the years, I became a hollowed-out version of myself. I’ve learned to understand every emotion better than anyone else, but I can’t experience it with them anymore. I’ve been numb for years, and it’s because I used to be more human than they could ever grasp. What I once saw as a gift, that profound empathy, has left me a shell of who I was, eternally observing but never truly feeling. 🌟

©️ Beatriz Esmer