Sometimes the other person won’t like what you’re saying and that’s OK; it’s just part of being in a relationship. My friends, and sometimes friends of friends, ask me for advice on how to say hard things and how to initiate painful conversations. They tell me, “You’re really good at this.” And for other people, I am. Secretive and resentful, I stopped talking to my husband about what was going on with me beyond the bare minimum. There were plenty of other things to talk about — our teenagers, his job, the news — but I had stopped sharing anything about myself.

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