Curate, connect, and discover
Honestly, it's been such a joy to see him having come back; I love him, and he loves me. I'm believing he was responsive to my stress and came back specifically to tell me that (we're) better than this, that (we) deserve more than this. He's egging me on in making actual choices that feel extreme to me but are probably average or on par with how other people would respond. He's angry and rightfully so! He's pushing me to act, to not acknowledge the situation and choose to do nothing.
Seeing him again feels like seeing an old friend again, and part of me really hopes to keep him, even knowing that when life begins to smooth out again, he'll probably go back into dormancy. Truthfully, I thought we'd integrated until he came rushing out of the depths of my psyche again. It was surprising, but I'm not upset. I'm so much more comfortable with him being around and helping me along. It really all does feel like a massive act of love.
Being able to give him more leeway because I'm not afraid anymore means I'm getting to see some of his quirks come through, we made tea and are leaning more towards having some kind of drink for breakfast as opposed to solid food. It's only been a few days since he's returned, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to seeing what else we'll do before he inevitably gets quieter before vanishing entirely for however long again.