If you find yourself walking on eggshells, it means some eggs have been broken.
There's nothing more damaging to relationship communications than "walking on eggshells.
" So if we don't like tiptoeing around, we have to learn to see the eggs, respect the eggs, and protect the eggs.
Now you could say that if you don't break some eggs, you can't make an omelet.
But I don't think the "eggs" that make up relationships should be broken and cooked - and especially not scrambled.
A relationship is like a room with Easter eggs strewn around the floor, each with a slightly different color or decorative pattern.
Each of them represents a small, fragile part of the one you are learning be with, or learning to stay with, and learning to love more each day.
If it can hurt the one you love, it's an egg.
If it's something she loves but you don't, and you take away her joy of loving it, you've broken an egg.
If it's something about which he is passionate, and you ignore it, or worse disparage it, you've broken an egg.
If it's something special she does for you, and you don't recognize it and don't validate it, you've broken yet another egg -- you have thoughtlessly or intentionally diminished her.
(And of course, it all works both ways.
Once we start crushing eggs under the boot heels of insensitivity and intolerance, the smashing and smooshing will only grow worse as our hurt looks to even the score through anger and retribution.
The way for her to feel better about you smooshing one of her eggs might be to smoosh one of yours: "Right back atcha!" And then you're in an egg-smooshing frenzy.
Breaking one egg leads to breaking another and eventually to breaking them all -- to breaking up -- forever.
Sometimes, instead of breaking eggs, we try to tiptoe around them.
That's dangerous.
It doesn't take much to throw us off balance, and where the foot lands nobody knows.
So how do we move the eggs - gently and unbroken -- out of harm's way? How do we honor and protect the things nearest and dearest.
Three words: vigilance (watching out for the eggs), acceptance (recognizing that at least a dozen eggs come with the relationship), and tolerance (letting the eggs role where they will).
When we're vigilant, we can see, respect and protect the intricate, intertwined pieces of our lives.
We can recognize each egg and treat it as uniquely beautiful and precious -- as a special part of who each of us is, or has been, or will be.
Our relationship can be nurtured and sustained by limitless love for everything about each other in a fullness of comfort and joy.
Even the crazy-making quirks that sometimes irritate us or cause us to question or doubt -- even those can become loveable through vigilance, acceptance and tolerance.
Love me, love my quirks.
But don't break my eggs.
So it all comes down to this.
No broken eggs: no broken promises, no broken hearts, no broken relationships.
And no more walking on eggshells.