On “Deserving”

Who deserves what? According to who?

“You deserve love, Jan.”

My friend said that to me one day, as a kindness. We were having a lot of honest talks during that time, about the sorry state of my life. It was said as an act of kindness, and, I suppose, because he really believes it. I mean, he’s not the kind of person who just tries to say things that sound witty or profound. Or that he…