The Difference Between Knowing and Accepting, According to Me (Who Just Figured It Out)

​💖 Acceptance

​"We hang onto little slivers of something, just for the hope that it may happen, even when we know it won't. Knowing and accepting are not the same thing."

​I shared that wisdom with someone recently. Yet, somehow I knew what I needed to know, but didn't know how to apply it to myself. I didn't face the reality of it until today.

​I suppose part of me is sorry it took this long to learn that distinction. But perhaps I shouldn't be.

​I wouldn't trade a single minute of the love I felt for ease or comfort. I wouldn't trade the things I learned for any other minute.

​I am one of a kind; not a single person could replace me in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I hear I come from a cloth they no longer make. One could only be so lucky to have actually known me, and even luckier for me to show love, affection, and loyalty.

​So maybe, just maybe, it was a blessing that it took me so long to learn, so long to face the truth, so long to accept what would never be.

​While I struggled to accept the reality of my own situation, I was always accepting of others:

*​People who hide themselves and don't share all they are.

*​People who lean on another to feel whole, even though they are plenty all by themselves.

*​People who shame themselves and feel they must live multiple lives.

​I've loved people who don't love themselves, and people who don't love me. I've cared for people who haven't cared for me.

​Perhaps the blessing isn't in how quickly we accept things, but in what we learn while we're taking our time getting there. The journey between knowing and accepting—that's where I found myself.