KarinaPerkins

There was a time when I stopped chasing after what I lacked and started listening to what was already living inside me.. For a long time, I believed that love could be found elsewhere, in a gaze that would be waiting for me, in a presence capable of giving a name to my silences.. Then I realized that before meeting someone, you first need to learn how to be with yourself.. It is in this slow intimacy with what I am that a new tenderness has emerged, subtle but profound, like a light that does not seek to dazzle and yet illuminates everything..

I have learned to look at myself with more kindness.. Do not confuse my doubts with weaknesses, nor my hesitations with definitive limitations.. Some days still held unanswered questions, thoughts that resurfaced late, and memories that demanded time.. However, even there, I remained.. I realized that self-love doesn't mean understanding everything immediately, but rather being present when things get difficult, and continuing to move forward without betraying yourself..

As I got closer to myself, I began to see the world differently. I rediscovered the beauty of simple things: the morning air, the light that streams across a window, the feeling of a path opening up before you. There is a silent way of loving in the world. A way of reminding us that everything changes, that everything breathes, that nothing is still. This realization taught me that living is not about possessing time, but about knowing how to inhabit it..

So I realized that nature speaks to those who know how to slow down. It promises nothing, it withholds nothing, it exists with a quiet faithfulness. The sky changes without asking permission, the wind passes without apologizing, and the light returns even after the longest hours. Looking at this, I felt that loving could also be like this simple presence: being there, fully, without unnecessary noise..

It is from this place that I have learned to love others. Not to fill a void, but to share a truth that is already alive. I have stopped searching for someone who completes me. I have preferred to encounter presences capable of opening up a space, of creating a closeness where each person remains whole. Loving has become a more free, more clear, and more profound movement..

I like conversations that unfold slowly, the ones that allow for silence without it becoming distant. I like the looks that say more than words, the moments when you feel something flowing effortlessly. There are encounters that don't need noise to exist. They settle in with simplicity, and yet they move something within us..

I loved intensely. I allowed certain people to enter places that are usually protected. I experienced closeness that soothed and closeness that was disruptive. And I also learned that some stories are not meant to last. They come to open a door, awaken an emotion, reveal a part of ourselves that we had not yet encountered. Even when they fade away, they leave a truth..

I discovered that letting go doesn't erase anything. It transforms. What has been experienced continues in another way. It becomes memory, nuance, inner breath. We don't lose what has truly touched us. We simply learn to give it another place, a calmer, more just place, where the memory no longer weighs us down but accompanies us..

Explorer then became a way of loving. Exploring what I feel, what I desire, and what still troubles me. Traversing unknown territories, accepting that I don't always have to know, moving forward without a precise map. Each step towards the unknown brought me closer to something essential. I realized that discovering oneself is not about reaching a definitive version of oneself, but about remaining open to what continues to emerge..

Today, I love with more presence. I love myself because I have learned to stay. I love others because I can share without losing myself. I love the world because it continues to amaze me. And I love this path because it reminds me every day that loving is not about arriving somewhere, but about moving forward with an open heart, attentive to what is still unfolding..

So I realized that nature speaks to those who know how to slow down. It promises nothing, it withholds nothing, it exists with a quiet faithfulness. The sky changes without asking permission, the wind... I preferred to encounter presences capable of opening up a space, of creating a closeness where everyone remains whole. Loving has become a freer, clearer, and deeper movement..