A friend recently told me they miss me. I found it amusing, we live nearby. At first thought it was humorous; how can you miss me if I don’t go away? Nevertheless, it was nice to be told; you’ll be missed and to know that someone out there will think of you in your absence.
There is a lot in my life I miss. I’m a homebody by nature. I love to travel abroad but at some point I’ll be sure to get homesick. Inevitably, I miss my children, my heart aches to be with them. What is it about children? I simply need to hear their voice, to feel their presence and somehow this longing to be with them, intertwines them to my heart. But it misses them when they leave. I miss my family. We had a history, a blood bond, roots and parents that bound us together like tape. Parents cannot be replaced, they hold a place in your world that leaves a void when they’re gone. I miss having them tremendously.
My close friends I miss because they are the few people in this world I chose as my own. I can laugh until my heart’s content, I can talk endlessly and I can shed a tear or two in their presence. I miss being me with them. I truly miss having an animal beside me, one that follows me around and expects nothing but attention and love. They are the true definition of loyalty and they show how much they missed you in the manner in which they wait for your return.
After a while of thinking about my friend’s remark, It dawned on me, most of us don’t want to admit that we miss someone. No one wants to be the first to admit it either. Speaking our minds at times is hard, keeping feelings inside isn’t doing anyone any good. Tomorrow you may not get that chance. Tomorrow may never come. And all the while we wait for the right time and right place to say how we feel.
If there is magic between two souls, of course you’ll be missed. Spending time with someone is priceless. It’s time that we don’t have enough of and time that runs out. So when you receive it, it becomes valuable and cherished. You’ll always remember the one that gave that time to you. Love starts that way, you start to miss that special person first. Death ends the same way, you miss them when they leave. We teach our children at a young age to share, not sharing is selfish. Doesn’t the same principle apply here? Sharing your feelings doesn’t make you weak, it shows you care. It’s an act of bravery and compassion.
Thinking about this episode made me also realize, missing is a lot like love, you can’t make someone miss you back. You can’t make them miss you as much as you miss them and that may very well be the root of the silence, of why we hesitate to admit it. What we’re scared to know, scared of finding out; that you weren’t missed or loved as much as you thought.