The Space Between Included and Chosen. Have I become someone they tolerate? I’m learning that I give people reasons to pull away. There’s a certain loneliness in watching people you love grow closer while your place among them feels less certain. Feeling yourself slowly move from being a part of their lives to being optional hurts. Close enough to witness it, far enough to feel its absence. I understand why the distance exists between us. And I accept that understanding what I did doesn’t make it feel any less far. I hope I can become someone safer to keep around. It's a gift to have such great people around you. I hope you're included and chosen. I'm still working on it.