Quote: What else was there for me to do, but validate, and not jump in with conclusions he is not ready for.
{Clap, clap, clap} This is very good, Slowly, and struck me particularly. It goes well with what Lights was saying in her 1st gigapost on GBO's post. I think we have spent soooo much time dismantling the pieces of the puzzle and putting them back together in a story, replete with 'labels' and storylines & a diagnosis of THEIR lives that we are less open to hearing anything new, or their interpretation of their journey. It is so tempting to jump in with all the 'knowledge' we think we possess about who they are and how they got that way. Listening and validating was the perfect response. You can't know all that NG carries within, and it is for him to search around and reveal what he finds to you, in HIS own time. And I would suspect that if you manage to create that space for him to feel comfortable to do so, you might hear some 'new' things that were not woven into your story of NG. I find myself in a similar situation, with SO just beginning to question some of the fabric of his life. And I must force myself to reach for that duct tape and just listen....
I also agree w/ Maya that some WOA about opening up and courage to talk to you about it might be helpful.
