A Super Short Story
Consider Josh and Deb. The two, happily married for ten years, are chatting over drinks while awaiting their food. Deb begins to share about a difficult conversation she had with her brother that day, clearly seeking understanding and support from Josh.
Josh, a generally supportive husband, seems to be listening but eventually bursts out in frustration: “listen, Deb, I just can’t deal with this right now!” Josh’s hands are shaking. “I’ve got so much on my plate at work, and a lot of problems I’m trying to solve, and I can’t solve yours right now. I can’t even figure out how to catch my breath!”