We are a rolling mass of contradictions, on the one hand, we shrug when we ghost someone or swipe left on someone’s picture, and that niggling sense of guilt is quickly smothered by indifference. On the other, our emotions are hurled to extremes and are crushed when something or someone touches our very core. We are like a pendulum oscillating between indifference and passion, and our actions and words are a testament to this. My favorite line that reflects all these delusions and false hopes is “Forever and ever.” It is a promise we’ve all uttered at least once, be it for a friendship or relationship, but as we say them out loud, we know they are false. After all, we are such fickle creatures that no emotion lasts forever, but when something or someone gets too close to our core, we want to rub them off and erase them from our memory because the emotions stirred are unbearable.
When our hearts get broken, we want to be smothered in indifference and be left in a emotional vacuum of nothingness. Then we seek new emotions to cover the bitter taste of failed loves.
When you start loving someone new
You laugh at the indecisiveness of love
Remember when you were sure
The last one was the one
And now here you are again
Redefining the one all over again
Rupi Kaur “A Fresh Love Is A Gift”
Is there a recipe to forget? When will it stop hurting? Will I ever recover? There are no answers, only experiences that will take the edge off the pain. The most important step you will take is when you decide to take the plunge and experience new, fresh emotions. First, you need to face your fear and it entails letting go of those emotions, which have served as a crutch that hasn’t allowed you to move forward.
I feel apprehensive
cause falling into you
means falling out of him
and I had not prepared for that
Rupi Kaur
As we wallow in our pool of self pity, we sometimes need a dose of reality to keep us floating with our heads above water. Cris Valencia’s work reminds me of those moments where everything comes crashing down and you begin to see things more clearly. Her soft colored illustrations make you reflect on your circumstances and realities when your heart gets broken.
If you don’t smother your emotions and you allow yourself some breathing time then i’m sure that pain you’re experiencing will begin to fade. Those emotional scars you want to hide away and are ashamed of are your biggest testaments to your inner strength, so flaunt them I say.
Don’t choose indifference, embrace your feelings, crush them into a small ball in your hands and drop them. Love yourself again and don’t let bad experiences shatter your spirit and make you numb. There’s nothing sadder than a person who hobbles along with their emotional crutches unwilling to let them go and fly.
If you can’t stop looking at her amazing illustrations, go check her Instagram account: @cris_valencia
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For more on illustrations and relationships, take a look at these:
Illustrations That Show How Your Gaze Is Just Enough To Light Up My World
Cynical Illustrations You’ll Get If You’ve Ever Been In Love
19 Illustrations To Experience The Loneliness Of Heartbreak
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