love
All you need is Love, and Love is all you need.
The Clean Up
The holidays are done and reality has returned, along with those pounds you lost during the entire year and now have to lose all over again. Don’t cringe. We all do it. It’s the holidays, when all the things you have gone without all year, come seeping out of every corner of everyone’s kitchens.
By Alexandra Grant11 days ago in Humans
The Call I Let Ring
The phone rang while I was tying my shoes. I noticed it more out of irritation than concern. I was already late, already thinking about the day ahead. Meetings. Traffic. Things that required my full attention—or so I told myself. When I looked at the screen, the name surprised me. My father. We hadn’t spoken properly in years. Not because of a fight, not because of anger. Just distance that slowly learned how to live without effort. Occasional messages on holidays. Short calls that stayed polite and careful. Conversations that never stayed long enough to matter. The phone kept ringing. I stood there, one shoe on, one shoe off, watching the screen light up the hallway wall. I told myself he was probably calling about something ordinary. Maybe a reminder. Maybe a question he could have texted. I told myself I would call back. The ringing stopped. I finished tying my shoes and left the apartment. The morning air was sharp. The street was loud. Life moved forward without waiting for my decision to settle. On the bus, I checked my phone again. No message. No voicemail. That should have bothered me more than it did. I drafted a reply in my head while staring out the window. Sorry, I missed your call. I’ll ring you later. It felt easy enough to delay something that didn’t demand urgency. By the time I reached work, the day had swallowed my attention whole. Hours passed. Emails. Conversations. Small problems that needed immediate answers. At lunch, I thought about calling him, then decided against it. I didn’t know what I would say. I didn’t know how to begin without reopening old silences. Later, I told myself. That evening, my sister called. Her voice was different. Not rushed. Not casual. “Did Dad call you today?” she asked. “Yes,” I said. “Why?” There was a pause long enough to change the weight of the room around me. “He’s in the hospital,” she said. “He didn’t want to worry anyone. He said he just wanted to hear your voice.” I sat down without realizing it. The rest of her words blurred together—terms I half understood, timelines that felt unreal. All I could think about was the call. The way I had watched it ring while convincing myself there would be another chance. I went to see him the next morning. The room was quiet in a way that made sound feel intrusive. He looked smaller than I remembered. Older. Tired. When he saw me, his face changed—not dramatically, just enough. “You came,” he said. “I should have come sooner,” I replied. He shook his head slightly. “You’re here now.” We didn’t talk about the call. We talked about ordinary things instead. The weather. The neighbor who never fixed his gate. A television show he’d stopped watching halfway through. I waited for the moment when something important would be said. It never arrived. When I stood to leave, he reached for my hand. His grip was weak, but deliberate. “I didn’t need much,” he said. “Just a hello.” I nodded, unable to trust my voice. He passed away two days later. After the funeral, I found myself scrolling through my phone more often than usual. Old messages. Missed calls. Small records of moments that had once asked for attention. The missed call from my father was still there. I didn’t delete it. Sometimes I open my call log just to see his name. Not out of guilt exactly. More like recognition. A reminder of how easily we assume time will wait for us to feel ready. The call rang. I let it ring. And now, that sound belongs to me.
By Talha khan11 days ago in Humans
Why Some Wounds Never Fully Heal
My mother died on a Tuesday in March, three weeks after her diagnosis. Cancer moved through her body with terrifying speed, leaving no time for goodbyes, no space for preparation, no chance to say all the things I'd always assumed I'd have time to say. She was here, and then she wasn't. Everyone told me the same thing: "Time heals all wounds." They meant well. But they were wrong. Fifteen years later, I still reach for the phone to call her when something good happens. Fifteen years later, I still feel the absence like a phantom limb—a presence that's missing but somehow still aches. Fifteen years later, I'm still waiting for the day when thinking about her doesn't hurt. I've finally accepted that day isn't coming. And somehow, that acceptance has brought more peace than all the years of waiting for the pain to end. The Myth of Complete Healing We're sold a particular narrative about grief, about trauma, about loss: if you do the work, if you process it correctly, if you're strong enough, you'll heal completely. The wound will close. The pain will end. You'll be whole again. But some wounds are too deep for that kind of closure. Some losses are too profound to ever fully recover from. And pretending otherwise doesn't help—it just makes us feel like failures when we're still hurting years later. I spent the first five years after my mother's death trying to heal "correctly." I went to therapy. I joined support groups. I read books about grief. I talked about my feelings. I did everything I was supposed to do. And yet, the wound remained open. I'd have months where I felt okay, where I'd think, "Finally, I'm healing." Then something small—a song, a scent, Mother's Day—would rip everything open again, and I'd be back at square one, sobbing in parking lots and grocery stores, feeling like I'd failed at grief. "Why can't I get past this?" I asked my therapist during one particularly difficult session. "It's been five years. Shouldn't I be better by now?" She leaned forward, her eyes kind. "What if this isn't about getting past it? What if it's about learning to carry it?" The Wounds That Change Us Some experiences fundamentally alter who we are. They create a before and after in our lives so profound that we can never return to the person we were. Before my mother died, I believed the world was basically safe. I believed people I loved would be around for a long time. I believed I had control over my life in ways that made me feel secure. After she died, all those beliefs shattered. I learned that safety is an illusion. That people you need can vanish without warning. That control is a story we tell ourselves to feel less terrified of existence. These weren't lessons I could unlearn. This wasn't damage I could repair. My mother's death didn't just hurt me—it changed me at a cellular level. The wound wasn't something on me; it became part of me. I spent years trying to get back to who I was before. I'd look at old photos and barely recognize the carefree woman smiling back at me. Where had she gone? Could I ever find her again? The answer, I eventually realized, was no. And that wasn't a failure. It was just the truth.
By Ameer Moavia11 days ago in Humans
Dating Contra: A Modern Perspective on Conflicting Dating Beliefs
Dating today feels like standing at a crossroads, doesn’t it? On one side, there are traditional rules passed down for generations. On the other, there’s a growing wave of people who want freedom, flexibility, and emotional honesty. This is where dating contra enters the picture—a concept that challenges conventional dating norms and asks a simple but powerful question: Why should love follow fixed rules?
By Sophia Wilson11 days ago in Humans
To Know Others Is to Know Ourselves
Life's a crazy ride, right? It is like we are all just dancing around, trying to figure things out. And honestly, it is the people in our lives that really make it worth living. We are all connected, even if we can't always see it. Those short moments we share with others? That is when life feels real. We are always trying to understand each other, to feel connected. What even is a relationship, if not a plunge into the unknown with someone else, kind of like holding a mirror up to yourself?
By Baptiste Monnet12 days ago in Humans
Dating Red Flags in Women that Feel Normal At First
Modern dating—especially for Gen Z in the US—moves fast. Apps, social media, and shared online spaces foster emotional connection prior to testing real-world compatibility. In this setting, several dating red flags in women may not look poisonous at first glance. They frequently feel natural, exciting, or even flattering in the early phases. Over time, however, these actions can silently erode trust, emotional safety, and the potential for a long-term relationship.
By Relationship Guide12 days ago in Humans
Virgo Woman and Pisces Man Compatibility Score. AI-Generated.
The pairing of a Virgo woman and a Pisces man is often described as a classic opposites-attract relationship. Virgo is grounded, analytical, and practical, while Pisces is emotional, intuitive, and dreamy. Interestingly, these two zodiac signs sit directly opposite each other on the astrological wheel, which creates a strong magnetic pull. When balanced well, this connection can feel deeply meaningful and emotionally fulfilling. However, it also comes with challenges that require patience, understanding, and mutual respect.
By Inspire and Fun12 days ago in Humans
What Arizona Singles Expect When Dating In Phoenix Metropolitan Areas
Dating in Phoenix metropolitan area is a unique rhythm that is developed by space, sunshine and lifestyle that is easy to ambition but not stressful. In contrast to the thickly populated cities, Phoenix provides the space to breathe, drive, and plan the life purposefully. In the case of singles, such setting defines what they anticipate dating. It is hard to make relationships fast due to being near or because of pressure. Rather, dating is a process that occurs in the presence of careers, wellness, and social lives that extend in different neighborhoods and cities.
By Grace Smith12 days ago in Humans
How Illinois Singles Build Dating Connections In Chicago Suburban Areas
To numerous Illinois singles, dating in the suburbs of Chicago gives them a more grounded, purposeful and comforting emotional experience compared to dating in the very center of the metropolis. Whilst downtown Chicago has been characterized by the hectic lifestyle and unlimited choices, the suburban life has brought about a different pace that has intuitively changed the way relationships start and develop. Singles in the regions tend to appreciate simplicity, consistency and genuineness and their selections in dating reflect the same.
By Grace Smith12 days ago in Humans
Why Florida Singles Enjoy Dating In Jacksonville And Orlando
Dating among many singles in the state of Florida is not about falling in love but rather having fun as they get to know each other. This attitude is particularly evident in such cities as Jacksonville and Orlando that with their lifestyles, climate, and culture allow a more free and easy attitude towards relationships. It is usual to find singles here term dating as a seamless mixture of daily lives instead of it taking over their lives.
By Grace Smith12 days ago in Humans
