when you lose someone, i think you lose a little bit of yourself with them. not metaphorically, either. there are parts of you that existed because they were there. things you said only to them. things they understood about you that nobody else did. versions of yourself that made sense in the context of knowing them. some of those things were probably engraved so deeply into them that when they're gone, you can feel the absence in yourself.
and i think it would be strange if it didn't hurt.

i don't think the point is to stop losing pieces of yourself.
maybe the point is to keep becoming someone worth losing pieces for.