Talista - I think that you have hit the nail on the head with the need for R talks when your piecing. Like your H, I am a bit of a conflict avoider. Early on in the DB process, I did approach my W to set aside some time each week that could be used for R talks but W was not interested. She said that sleep was more important than us talking. We are in joint C about once a month and I have recently brought up the subject again - W is still not interested.
What you have been doing seems to be working for you so I would encourage you to continue on that road. Keep those regularly scheduled R talks going!
