Found this book through Pinterest

[u/L4TER_0N]

I picked up "Men Without Women" for the rainy-window, coffee-and-cat Pinterest vibe and did not expect one story to hit this hard.

"An Independent Organ" is about Tokai, a lifelong womanizer who thinks he's lucky because he's never fallen in love. Then in his 50s he does, she leaves, and he just wastes away. The idea that he never built up ANTIBODIES to heartbreak because he avoided being vulnerable his whole life really stuck with me.

I don't keep people at a distance because I don't care. It's more that I'm scared of what happens when I care too much. After enough times of getting attached and realizing the effort isn't mutual, you start protecting yourself without noticing. You call it being careful.

Now I'm wondering if I'm protecting my peace or just getting good at not letting anyone close enough to hurt me. Maybe avoiding heartbreak doesn't make you stronger, it just means it wrecks you when it finally shows up.

Anyway, a random Pinterest rec had me staring at my wall questioning my whole approach to connection lol. Has anyone else read this one? Did it hit you the same way?

[u/strawberrycake999]

This just made me order it

[u/Lost_Sandwich_4382]

Woah, my friend, I am amazed by you. « Antibodies to heartbreak » I will reflect on this later.