Bassam Farhat

Bassam,

Being liked is common. Being understood is rare.

Most people move through the world being liked well enough, smiled at, included, appreciated in a surface way that feels fine but never quite fills the part of you that actually needs to be seen. I spent a lot of my life in that space, surrounded by people who liked me without fully understanding what they were liking.

And then there is you.

You understand me, Bassam. Not the version I present when I'm performing, not the version that's put together and articulate and knows what to say. The actual version. The one that goes too deep into things, that carries too much, that feels everything at a volume most people find uncomfortable. You never made me feel like that was too much. You never looked at me like I needed to be simpler than I am.

Do you know how rare that is? Do you know what it does to a person to be around someone who just gets it without needing it explained?

It makes you feel like you are allowed to exist as yourself. Fully. Without apology.

We walked the same three years together, and you were one of the reasons I never felt alone inside of them. Not because you were always there, but because even in the hardest moments, I knew there was someone in my corner who actually understood what was happening in my head. That kind of knowing is worth more than almost anything.

I see you too, Bassam. I hope you know that.

With love,

Elia