Uncomfortable truth: Sometimes you leave a family gathering feeling heavy. not because you don't love them, but because being around them pulls you back into an old version of yourself you worked so hard to grow out of. Your body remembers the survival mode you once lived in. Your heart remembers the expectations you couldn't meet. And your mind remembers the wounds you tucked away just to keep the peace. So when you go home feeling drained or strangely sad, it isn't rejection. It isn't failure. It's your spirit trying to reconcile who you used to be with who you're finally becoming. It's not distance- it's the quiet battle between your healing and your history.