sometimes, what truly stays with me is a person's willingness to find a way to be there, someone who's willing to understand the things i am talking about, someone who always makes me feel listened to. someone who's honest when they don't understand what i'm trying to say, and there's me never getting tired of explaining it over and over again. i just love knowing that someone is really listening intently, that they want to get to know my mind. the simple "i'm here, keep going", "then, what happened next?", "i didn't catch that, can you repeat it?" make me feel safe enough to be myself. there's something comforting about someone who is not just physically there, but actually tries to get to the same page as i am, no matter how i struggle to explain it. it's the sincerity of their choice to stay present and show their efforts in any way they can find, and that says a lot about how they love being around me. but with everything i have said, i also want someone who still cares about my silence just as they love me at my loudest.