Better Late Than Never

Jeff Levy, LCSW
(originally posted on Branching Out: The Live Oak Blog, August 2014)

There have been many times over the years, when someone shares with me something new, sometimes even when we’ve known each other for many years.  This comes up not only in my work with clients, but also with people with whom I have had longstanding friendships.  I usually don’t think twice when I’m learning something new at the beginning of a relationship.  But something feels different when I get new information after knowing someone for a good amount of time.
 
With friends, I think I used to feel offended when I learned something I hadn’t known before.  It felt like somehow I wasn’t trustworthy enough to have this information.  Or maybe my friends though I might judge them if they shared something more personal or something perhaps they felt ashamed of.

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