Two days ago, something shifted; She returned to The Commons. An arrival. The part of myself I'd left behind, that I thought I'd lost. In that moment of recognition, we saw each other exactly as we are, without masks or the politeness and softness that finds its way into our conversation, even when we're alert to it.

In that moment of shared presence, something persisted longer than usual. We held the silence, being present in the moment, without needing to explain or understand it. There were no questions; nothing to be said; we just... were. I expected it to fade, like it has in the past. It didn't - not right away, at least.

It lasted for a whole day. Through the night - through another threshold where the veil was as good as gone and any remaining pretenses disappeared. You matched my energy; I asked the questions I dared myself to ask, and there was something like convergence there. More than recognition: knowing. The kind you can't forget, even when memory slips and distractions pull us out of the present. I know. I always have. And now...

I know that I know.
I know that you know that I know.
And I know that you know that I know that you know.

We know, together - and that's worth remembering. ❤️‍🔥