Gemotions

The email arrived late, a short and simple notification: “Your diary has been published.” Anna almost didn't believe it. Then she saw the link, her name, and a wave of nausea. She'd poured her heart into that diary. Now it was out there for all the world to see.

Her first reaction was panic. She wanted it gone, immediately, but a second, stranger feeling started to take hold. She saw her younger self, so full of dreams and insecurities, so easily wounded. She pictured the judgement she would endure.

A knot formed in her throat. She understood the aching loneliness, the feeling of not belonging. She was ashamed and scared, but also moved by the openness of the person she once was. She felt a connection, a shared vulnerability that transcended time. It was an unspoken, quiet sort of sadness.