there was no one moment where it happened, but it dawned on me gradually
it was unsettling to realize that people’s explicit words don’t actually always match their meaning
that “Great!” said with a tense smile can actually mean “I’m going to leave now”
or “I’m happy” can actually mean “I’m sad and lonely”
there’s a grating friction when the words don’t match reality
and a pleasant, harmonious consonance when words match the body language, the authentic truth of their heart