There’s a drawer in my kitchen under the sink, that’s broken.

It’s not broken enough for it to be unusable, but it kind of falls off its runners when you pull it out too far.

It’s been like that for a few months now and I’ve masterfully figured out a way to carefully open the drawer without it falling off the runners all the time.

I think my partner has also figured this out too because I see her opening it in a different, but equally careful way.

It’s funny though, because neither of us have mentioned the broken drawer to each other.

Not a word. Not a peep.

We’ve just got on with opening it in our own way, accepting that the drawer is broken and yet not actually doing anything about fixing it, or, in our case, discussing it.

This happens in life too, right? It’s not just DIY stuff. It happens at work and with friends and in marriages and also in our own heads.

Something breaks down, something stops working the way it used to, something needs more effort than before, something needs a little more support or patience or a new perspective or approach.

And instead of communicating that to others (or even ourself), we say nothing.

Not a word, not a peep.

We just continue doing the same thing as before, or we spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy working out ways to skirt around the problem, without spending any time or energy on how to actually fix it……