My oldest friend and I used to talk about everything - death, meaning, what we owed other people - but ever since we both hit our forties and started facing real losses, those conversations feel too loaded and we've retreated into safer territory. I think we're both protecting each other from our actual fears and it's making our friendship feel hollow.
More people experience this than they realize.
The abstract questions you once explored together have become painfully concrete, and the protective instinct to shield each other from existential weight is preventing the very connection that might help you both.
“Where Are You with Blended Families & Stepparenting?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.