Think about the last time someone really got you.
They followed your tangent all the way to the end and found it interesting. They laughed at the joke that needed three pieces of context. They looked at you halfway through a sentence and said, “You’re masking right now, aren’t you?”
Remember what that felt like in your body.
For most people, being understood is pleasant. For a lot of people reading this, it’s closer to a drug. One conversation and your shoulders drop for the first time in years. You go home and replay it. You feel, absurdly and immediately, like you’ve found your person.
That feeling deserves respect and a second look, because it’s the exact feeling a certain kind of person knows how to produce on purpose.
The Long Famine
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