By Jon Ferry
James said she routinely pushed
him harshly away from her.
Joan said that she simply craved
some hassle-free quiet time.
They were deep in a push-pull
relationship in which
his desire for closeness
triggered her need for space.
Jim proposed therapy,
but Joan feared she’d end up
getting shamed and blamed for
his sticky clingingness.
The result was Jim felt Joan
was constantly stalling. Yet
she figured she kept being
pressured, cornered … and trapped.
They wound up emotionally
exhausted, physically
dissatisfied and at a
an impasse ... or dead-end.
The way out, they agreed, was
to set boundaries so they
could be both close and apart --
and both careful and kind.
The firm limits got bent, but
were never fully broken ...
while their push and pull gave way
to a steady tug of love.