a friendly wave to a crying

Murfreesboro TN

Description

Don't ask me to remember the date, but I remember it was off of memorial. I had my dog in my lap. Was stopped at a stop light and crying my eyes out with my arms wrapped more-so around her than the steering wheel. It was an ugly, silent cry. The kind that only comes from the opening of a chasm inside your chest. Sometimes crying is satisfying, like a release, but not this time. I had been crying on and off for days at that point, and even now it's an endless hurt. Months later, I still find myself crying. Someone had just hurt me in a way I'd never been hurt before. I was alone. The reality of my situation had had time to fully sink in, and the world that had once seemed so kind now felt impenetrably dark. You saw me like that-- bent over my steering wheel, curled around my needy dog, waiting in vain for relief to come with my tears. You didn't shy away from my gaze... you waved a hand at me. Though it was a little awkward, it came from a place of concern. It wasn't derisive and mean-spirited, wasn't dismissive or avoidant. It was "I understand, are you okay?" Sometimes when it starts to get dark again, I think about that wave. Such a little gesture. A tiny break in social etiquette. There was nothing you couldn't have gained with that wave, no hidden agenda, not even an ego boost. It was just a brief touch of concern, of shared empathy between two random people who will never meet again. It was so human. When you get hurt really bad, you'd be surprised how few people want to look at your hurt head on. So, just... if you happen to stumble across this, all I really wanted was to say thank you. Thanks for looking, and looking kindly. It's more rare than you know.