---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was surprised to find how much he…"
description: "\"“He was surprised to find how much he missed writing to her. For so many months, she'd been the person on the other end of all his musings, and now she..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg"
---

#  He was surprised to find how much he missed writing to…

![“He was surprised to find how much he missed writing to her. For so many months, she'd been the person on the other end of all his musings, and now she was gone and his thoughts were left buzzing around inside his head like frantic fireflies in a jar. He hadn't realized how much it could mean…” quote by Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg)

> ““He was surprised to find how much he missed writing to her. For so many months, she'd been the person on the other end of all his musings, and now she was gone and his thoughts were left buzzing around inside his head like frantic fireflies in a jar. He hadn't realized how much it could mean, having someone to talk to like that; he hadn't realized that it could be a kind of lifeline, and that without it, there would be nobody to save you if you started to drown.””

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Missing a close confidant can feel like losing a lifeline, leaving thoughts unsettled and emotions adrift.

**In simple terms:** Missing a confidant feels like losing a lifeline.

Key Takeaway

Cherish and maintain deep communication.

Themes

loneliness communication emotional support

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- breakups
- long-distance relationships
- mental health counseling
- creative writing

Key Concepts

psychology attachment theory social connection

Questions to Reflect On

- Who can you turn to when you feel isolated?
- How can you create multiple support sources?

A Different Perspective

The quote ideal assumes a single person can fulfill all emotional needs, which may not be realistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“He hadn't realized how much it could mean, having someone to talk to like that; he hadn't realized that it could be a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-hadn-t-realized-how-much-it-could-mean-having-someone-to-talk-to/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [All her knowledge is gone now. Everything she ever learned, or heard, or saw. Her particular way of looking at Hamlet or daisies or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/all-her-knowledge-is-gone-now-everything-she-ever-learned-or-heard-or/)

[Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/)

> [“She logged in and read a few of her old posts, smiling at the issues she had raged about and shaking her head at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-ganesh-kumar/she-logged-in-and-read-a-few-of-her-old-posts-smiling-at-the-issues/)

[Shweta Ganesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-ganesh-kumar/)

> [“I miss the thoughts of you now... For in my head they over ran. But now, on unpretentious grounds... There's a grave with unearthed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-fox/i-miss-the-thoughts-of-you-now-for-in-my-head-they-over-ran-but-now/)

Joy Fox

> [All the colors in my life are colors that you left behind. All the songs that I sing are from thoughts that you left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-the-colors-in-my-life-are-colors-that-you-left-behind-all-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What is generally missed, is that my writing financed research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/what-is-generally-missed-is-that-my-writing-financed-research/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

> [Till the time I found a creative outlet, I was trying to be extra creative at business, which would always put me in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/till-the-time-i-found-a-creative-outlet-i-was-trying-to-be-extra/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [Im glad I have an outlet. I dont think I would put my aggression elsewhere, but working on the projects I have worked on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/im-glad-i-have-an-outlet-i-dont-think-i-would-put-my-aggression/)

[Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/)

> [I miss TV. I miss the creative outlet, the energy, the attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/i-miss-tv-i-miss-the-creative-outlet-the-energy-the-attention/)

[Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/)

> [The British love of queuing and discomfort and being bossed around seems to have found a new outlet in the pop festival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-british-love-of-queuing-and-discomfort-and-being-bossed-around/)

[Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/)

> ['Brand-Dropping' is the term that the Kluger Agency coined to describe discreetly advertising by product mentioning in song, and we feel we can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kluger/brand-dropping-is-the-term-that-the-kluger-agency-coined-to-describe/)

[Adam Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kluger/)

> [That has been my outlet and a way to provide for my child - writing songs for myself and for other artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lynn-spears/that-has-been-my-outlet-and-a-way-to-provide-for-my-child-writing/)

[Jamie Lynn Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lynn-spears/)

> [“or electrical outlet. Note that if your Kindle is plugged into a low-powered USB port—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/or-electrical-outlet-note-that-if-your-kindle-is-plugged-into-a-low/)

Amazon

> [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/)

[Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/)

> [If you join a choir, it's a wonderful outlet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/if-you-join-a-choir-it-s-a-wonderful-outlet/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

## More by Jennifer E. Smith

> [“He'd come back to her, it was true. He was the one to walk out of the woods and onto the beach, to cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-d-come-back-to-her-it-was-true-he-was-the-one-to-walk-out-of-the/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“That's the thing about flying: You could talk to someone for hours and never even know his name, share your deepest secrets and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/that-s-the-thing-about-flying-you-could-talk-to-someone-for-hours-and/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Now Hadley presses her forehead against the window of the taxi and once again finds herself smiling at the thought of him. He's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/now-hadley-presses-her-forehead-against-the-window-of-the-taxi-and/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“He's looking at her like she's the answer to some sort of riddle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-s-looking-at-her-like-she-s-the-answer-to-some-sort-of-riddle/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Well," he begins, sitting up a bit taller, "I was being quite gallant, actually, and offered to help with her suitcase. And then we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/well-he-begins-sitting-up-a-bit-taller-i-was-being-quite-gallant/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“The only time it doesn't help to imagine the sky is when you're thirty thousand feet in the air with nowhere to go but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/the-only-time-it-doesn-t-help-to-imagine-the-sky-is-when-you-re/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Emma knew that she'd always been on the wrong side of the line that separated her from her parents, from Patrick and Annie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/emma-knew-that-she-d-always-been-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-line-that/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Hadley knows this isn’t some Disney movie. Her parents aren’t ever getting back together”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/hadley-knows-this-isn-t-some-disney-movie-her-parents-aren-t-ever/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“If you were to draw a map of the two of them, of where they started out and where they would both end up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/if-you-were-to-draw-a-map-of-the-two-of-them-of-where-they-started/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“She wishes that it were true, all of it. That it were more than just a story. That is was their story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/she-wishes-that-it-were-true-all-of-it-that-it-were-more-than-just-a/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“There's a formula for how long it takes to get over someone, that it's half as long as the time you've been together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/there-s-a-formula-for-how-long-it-takes-to-get-over-someone-that-it-s/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“True," he says. "But I'm able to supplement it with my wealth of British intelligence and charm." "Right," Hadley says. "Charm. When do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/true-he-says-but-i-m-able-to-supplement-it-with-my-wealth-of-british/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“You can't know the answer until you ask the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/you-can-t-know-the-answer-until-you-ask-the-question/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Chemistry wasn't something you could just create anyway; it was either there or it wasn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/chemistry-wasn-t-something-you-could-just-create-anyway-it-was-either/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

> [“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/cheerfulness-and-contentment-are-great-beautifiers/)

[Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

[Explore all 230 Jennifer E. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/)

## More Outlet quotes

> [If you join a choir, it's a wonderful outlet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/if-you-join-a-choir-it-s-a-wonderful-outlet/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/)

[Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/)

> [“or electrical outlet. Note that if your Kindle is plugged into a low-powered USB port—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/or-electrical-outlet-note-that-if-your-kindle-is-plugged-into-a-low/)

Amazon

> [That has been my outlet and a way to provide for my child - writing songs for myself and for other artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lynn-spears/that-has-been-my-outlet-and-a-way-to-provide-for-my-child-writing/)

[Jamie Lynn Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lynn-spears/)

> ['Brand-Dropping' is the term that the Kluger Agency coined to describe discreetly advertising by product mentioning in song, and we feel we can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kluger/brand-dropping-is-the-term-that-the-kluger-agency-coined-to-describe/)

[Adam Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kluger/)

> [The British love of queuing and discomfort and being bossed around seems to have found a new outlet in the pop festival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-british-love-of-queuing-and-discomfort-and-being-bossed-around/)

[Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/)

> [I miss TV. I miss the creative outlet, the energy, the attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soupy-sales/i-miss-tv-i-miss-the-creative-outlet-the-energy-the-attention/)

[Soupy Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soupy-sales/)

> [Im glad I have an outlet. I dont think I would put my aggression elsewhere, but working on the projects I have worked on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-gosling/im-glad-i-have-an-outlet-i-dont-think-i-would-put-my-aggression/)

[Ryan Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-gosling/)

> [Till the time I found a creative outlet, I was trying to be extra creative at business, which would always put me in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/till-the-time-i-found-a-creative-outlet-i-was-trying-to-be-extra/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [I want to be different, and fashion gives me that outlet to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/i-want-to-be-different-and-fashion-gives-me-that-outlet-to-do-that/)

[Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/)

> [The acting served as an outlet for my emotions for some time because I was doing it under the guise of someone else. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-wagner/the-acting-served-as-an-outlet-for-my-emotions-for-some-time-because/)

[Lindsay Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-wagner/)

> [Music for me has always been a vent and has always been a great outlet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/music-for-me-has-always-been-a-vent-and-has-always-been-a-great-outlet/)

[KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/)

> [When I was in high school, there was no safe haven, there was no outlet for you to speak your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/when-i-was-in-high-school-there-was-no-safe-haven-there-was-no-outlet/)

[Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/)

> [There's a restaurant in Manhattan called Balthazar, and next to it is Balthazar Bakery. It's tiny, and it's very charming to have that little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/there-s-a-restaurant-in-manhattan-called-balthazar-and-next-to-it-is/)

[Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/)

> [I have to have some kind of creative outlet; otherwise, I'm hell to be around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/withered-hand/i-have-to-have-some-kind-of-creative-outlet-otherwise-i-m-hell-to-be/)

[Withered Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/withered-hand/)

Browse all 126 Outlet quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He was surprised to find how much he missed writing to her. For so many months, she'd been the person on the other end of all his musings, and now she was gone and his thoughts were left buzzing around inside his head like frantic fireflies in a jar. He hadn't realized how much it could mean, having someone to talk to like that; he hadn't realized that it could be a kind of lifeline, and that without it, there would be nobody to save you if you started to drown.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jennifer E. Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-missed-writing-to-her-for-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Outlet"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-missed-writing-to-her-for-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dea/jennifer-e-smith-1454_outlet_he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-mis_512954.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He was surprised to find how much he missed writing to her. For so many months, she'd been the person on the…” — Jennifer E. Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jennifer E. Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He was surprised to find how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-missed-writing-to-her-for-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-was-surprised-to-find-how-much-he-missed-writing-to-her-for-so/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
