In two of the meetings I had today, I had the opportunity to share a difficult personal situation. Both of my friends were supportive and understanding, listening to me without jumping to fix me (as we men often do to one another). One of these guys has been my friend for about 20 years, the other, it is just our second meeting.

I’ve held back talking about this, for a number of what I’ve thought were excellent reasons, but when it comes down to it, it was all about self-protection: how I would look and what people would think of me. What I’m finding as I selectively open up is that the burden is lighter. It’s still hard, for sure. And I have no answers. But I feel less alone and less weighted by all of it.

Vulnerability carries such risk. You want to be smart about who you talk to, the quality of the relationship and the level of trust. While hiding it all away can seem like the safe bet, I think you’ll find processing out loud can take some of the sting and the shame out of it.

I’m grateful for good friends.