Cocktails at Sunset

I've been thinking a lot about relationships and what makes them work (or not). Cocktails at sunset are great "memory makers" once in a while, but that is not what brings couples closer together. What brings you closer together is entrusting your heart to each other and regarding that trust as a lofty honor along with a set of mundane daily responsibilities. When you give your heart away you're making yourself vulnerable. When life deals you a blow it is sometimes tempting to push the sadness aside to make room for happier feelings because I know that I never want anyone or anything to have the satisfaction of stealing my joy. But when does handling things privately become a habit? You cannot eliminate painful episodes from your history together so use these events to grow closer by grieving together and growing together. Don't lock each other out! If you've been through enough with each other to know that you can't trust the other with your heart then maybe you've got a compelling argument for a reckoning so that you can deal with your distrust of each other. If you don't have a reason to lock each other out then speak up. There is no reason that one person gets to feel everything and the other nothing.