Some things don’t arrive when we call for them.
Answers. Apologies. Understanding.
Sometimes, even love itself can feel like it’s running on a different clock.
And when you’re the one waiting, it can ache.
When you’re the one needing, it can stir a deeper awareness—
a noticing of how timing shapes everything.
And when you’re the one who can’t respond yet,
it can bring a quiet tension you don’t yet know how to name.
We don’t all meet life at the same tempo.
Some of us move fast—urgent to solve, to connect, to resolve.
Others need time, silence, space to feel their way forward.
But what happens in the pause between one person’s need and the other’s delay?
A whisper sneaks in:
“They don’t care.”
“They’re avoiding me.”
“This always happens.”
Something quiet begins to sharpen beneath the surface—
not rage, not cruelty—just the subtle weight of unmet timing.
An edge forms. And it cuts without anyone meaning to.
This obstacle can teach.
And it can take away.
It can open us to compassion
or close us in resentment.
The question becomes:
How do we meet each other with honor
when we’re out of rhythm?
How do we stay kind when we’re tired of holding the silence?
How do we not make their timing mean something about our worth?
Not every pause is punishment.
Not every delay is disregard.
But the stories we’ve lived may whisper otherwise.
It’s not just a language barrier—it’s a life barrier.
Different nervous systems.
Different stories.
Different shapes of presence and processing.
But if we can pause—not to press, not to fix,
but to see the other in their timing—
maybe we create a space where no one is wrong.
Maybe we say:
“I’m feeling the weight of waiting. I just need you to know.”
Or:
“I don’t have the words yet, but your heart matters to me.”
And just like that, we step out of the battle,
and into the bridge.
A Rhythm We Haven’t Learned Yet
Sometimes,
I wait for you
like the moon waits for the tide—
knowing it will come,
but not knowing when.
Sometimes,
you need space
like a mountain needs mist—
not to disappear,
but to breathe.
We move like dancers
to different songs,
feet aching
when we try to lead each other
through rhythms we haven’t learned yet.
But what if this is the music?
What if the space between us
isn’t a problem to solve,
but a sacred silence
where trust
and truth
begin to rise?
So I’ll stay present—
not in pause,
but in practice.
Not waiting to live,
but living in love
while the dance finds its shape.
Whether we meet in step
or drift apart like waves—
I am still whole
and still here.
Breathing. Becoming.
With or without the answer.
-Kerri-Elizabeth-
What have you learned about your own rhythm—and how do you honor it while loving someone whose pace is different from yours?
