Your identity is not real. It is not real in the sense that you cannot hold it. You cannot give it a kiss. It’s not a person. It’s an idea. It’s a narrative about who you are. It’s a country song set to the tune of a set of lofty ideals.

And it’s a false narrative, in some respect. Because you aren’t perfect. Your marriage isn’t perfect. You aren’t the prototype. And that’s okay. You must already know that on some level.

I am a person. A real live person. You see me. You hold me. You kiss me. Why would you put a narrative above me? Why would a set of ideals be more important than a real person? That’s something that you probably need to figure out.

Real people are more important than ideals.

Emotions are more important, more immediate, than identity.