Is longing sorrowful?

 "Come to me in my dreams, and then By day I shall be well again. For then the night will more than pay The hopeless longing of the day."

          -Matthew Arnold

Sometimes, you feel really sad without knowing exactly why and later, your mind recalls what caused that sadness. At times, you may long for things. Sometimes, you long for people. You may long for love, time, freedom, affection, or leisure. The reasons may vary, but longing is irreplaceable.

Here’s my reflection on longing with my personal experience,

Generally, people long for things that were once present in their lives ,things that were once abundant. This kind of longing arises when they miss something that used to surround them.

But this isn’t the case for everyone. Some people long for things they’ve never received in their lives.

Imagine a child who has never experienced victory will long for the feeling of triumph. A child who has never felt loved will long for affection.

As adults, losing parents in our 50s or 60s is painful, but often more bearable we've had time, memories, and connection.

But now, imagine a child who never had a father or mother from the beginning. Their longing for a parent is different. It's not just a loss it's an emotional emptiness that’s never been filled. That kind of longing is unexplainable.

This wasn’t just an idea , this deeply impacted me when I heard it from a child.

The child said, "I used to dream that I had everything I long for.." but in the middle of the night, the day comes and interrupts my dreams, bringing me back to reality."

That struck me. It made me realize that, as youth, we often had vivid thoughts before sleep. We imagined different lives, different futures yet all of it faded when we awoke.

I could completely empathize with the child who said she would imagine being with her parent, and that thought would pacify her.

I am one of those children who grew up with a single parent and long for a father's affection every single day of my life. Even now, small things like stories, movies, bikes, parents meetings, can trigger me or break me when the topic of fatherhood arises.

But the child's perspective changed me. This isn’t a sad post this is a positive response to that child's voice. I hope it reaches someone whose heart longs for these words.

We are all just human beings, Isn't it? and we long for many things from the moment we're born until the end of our lives.

Longing is not sorrowful by nature. It all depends on how we perceive it.

“And I communicate with your mind through my thoughts..✨✌️”