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Saudade
Saudade (or Saudades) is defined as “a somewhat melancholic feeling of incompleteness. It is related to think back situations of privation due to the absence of someone or something, to move away from a place or thing, or to the absence of a set of particular and desirable experiencies and pleasures once lived”.
I have been haunted by this word. It can mean so many feelings, yet remains so eerily difficult to define in just one word. It could imply longing for a faraway place where one was raised; yearning for a lost lover lost for good or missing the fond memories. For me, saudade opens floodgates to so many emotions: present and those from my childhood.
And yet, I’m sure I’m not the only one. Maybe we all have these longings or “blues”, where we feel vulnerable and alone and maybe the fact that we can all relate to these feelings is what makes us…well…human.
So if you are feeling the saudade, don’t avoid it. Try riding this emotion through!
