What I thought was intimacy, compatibility, and chemistry sometimes turned out to be intensity. Being made to feel unusually seen, wanted, and chosen could pull me in quickly, and the shifts between closeness and distance could leave me trying to understand what had changed and wanting the earlier version back.

Kindness v. Friendliness

Regarding Sweet Greg:  S2 asked, “Is he that way because his parents are like that?” Greg’s kindness gave me the perfect segue into expanding on my own family experience. Any excuse will do. I shared how growing up in the intense harshness of my childhood home left me with no understanding of authentic kindness or gentleness. I still marvel at kind, respectful, gentle‑natured people. Intentional, undiscriminating kindness is rare, and I work daily to bring it into our focus and…

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