Surviving Heartbreak

Not Avoiding Love

I am not avoiding love,
though it may look that way—
I've walked too many roads
where my heart shattered
beneath the weight of its own giving,
and now, I tread lightly.

It wasn't the people,
not the moments,
not even the fragile threads of circumstance—
it was me,
pouring all I had
into hands that never asked to hold it,
leaving none for my own.

I've learned to break my own heart,
clinging to those
who've long let go,
nurturing the ache of abandonment
as if it were a seed to be watered.

So now I love differently.
I give to myself,
to my friends, to my family—
to the world that has stayed.
I've learned to hold my boundaries close,
to cradle my happiness
instead of casting it aside
in the name of love.

No, I am not avoiding it.
I am protecting the pieces of myself,
learning how to share them wisely,
learning how to love
without erasing who I am.

One day, someone may come—
someone willing to give their all,
someone who meets me halfway.
But until then,
I will not rush.
I will not break myself
to build another's joy.

This isn't the absence of love—
it's the quiet preparation for its return,
a promise to myself
that the next time
will be different.

—MistakenGenius