Mistake #1: Leaving the Romance Out of the Weather Report
Okay, grab a hanky—or 14—and watch this video from StoryCorps about an extraordinary 27-year-marriage that ended in terminal cancer. The takeaway, in case you didn't watch it, or missed it as you collapsed into a puddle, is that Danny wrote Annie a love letter every day. Every single day. His love letters were simple notes. He calls them "romantic weather reports." "To my princess: The weather out today is extremely rainy... " begins one of them. You know you're going to talk about the weather. There's nothing wrong with that. Or there doesn't have to be anyway. Not when the weather is relayed in the language of love.
She made big plans; her boyfriend made excuses. She pushed; he pulled away. But when Darby Saxbe trained to become a couples therapist, she learned to put down her weapons, lean in, and collaborate on a winning cease-fire.
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