Leo

When praise hits you sideways, when the words feel both too much and not enough at once, you are hearing something about the person giving it as much as about yourself. The compliment that makes you want to hide and beam simultaneously is touching on the part of you that still believes attention should feel like pure delight, uncomplicated and warm. But you are old enough now to know that being seen always comes with a small price, that every spotlight casts a shadow somewhere else. The discomfort is not about the words themselves but about wanting to trust them completely, the way you once could.