Repair Is A Two-Way Street

Accepting an Apology Is an Active Process

Recently, my husband made a joke that hit me poorly.

It was the kind of joke he knows I don’t like. I’m sensitive to teasing, and I particularly don’t like if a joke feels like it’s meant to take someone down a notch. This one landed that way for me, like I was being knocked off a high horse I didn’t even know I was on.

I know intellectually (from a lot of lived experience with this human) that the joke doesn’t reflect his true thoughts or feelings about me.

But I still felt really hurt. The sensation was intense. I felt hot, tears came to my eyes, and I wanted to look away.

Keep reading to find out what happened next.