Josie, thank you for such kind words about this story. Honestly, it was hard to write. Even after so many years, I harbor strong, unrivaled feelings for this man, truth be told. Whatever they might be, and whatever they might be worth… As for the writing of it, as I recall, I listened to some emotionally wrenching Adele stuff, gave myself a roughly 48-hour deadline, and just poured everything out uncensored while I cried — then edited it over and over and over and over again. I even pulled an all-nighter to meet that deadline. It was definitely far from effortless, and the VAST majority of the time, I don’t write nearly as eloquently as this story might look. ;)

But enough about the writing. More importantly, I’m very sorry to hear that you can relate to the feeling of being stuck, robbed of your dreams, and afraid that love is not in the cards for yourself. I’ve been there several times, to be honest, and I know it’s an awful feeling… but at least, in the long arc of time, it generally turns out to be untrue, because life introduces the surprises we need (people, opportunities, etc.) when we least expect them. I hope life brings you wonderful people, inspirations, and opportunities on your journey too. I like to believe that it’s in the universe’s best interests not for us to wallow in misery, but to heal and to find our highest potential. And because it’s in the universe’s best interests for these things to happen, I believe it helps us get there. Of course, it can be frustrating to feel like we’re only able to take one step at a time… or that our “rest stop” is taking longer than we’d like. But keep the faith. Joy and love are possible for you! I am wishing you much love, magic, and meaning on your journey. 💜