If you’re like me, one of the reasons some romance novels get tossed against the wall (though they’re safer now, since I read mainly on my Kindle) is due to stupid misunderstandings that could easily have been cleared up with a very simple conversation between the hero/heroine. It drives me nuts to read about those, but I’ve finally realized that it’s because I’m a communicator – and if something is unclear to me or seems a little off, I go to the other person and ask them, point blank, to clarify. I’m blunt that way.

I also try not to assume things. Most of the time (not always, because I am human), I give people the benefit of the doubt. If my husband is out with friends or co-workers and I hear girls were flirting with him, I don’t immediately assume he’s considering cheating on me. If someone doesn’t get back to me right away, I don’t assume it’s because they’re avoiding me, I assume they’re busy and will get back to me when they can.

That’s not to say my husband and I *never* have misunderstandings, even with good communication things can fall through the cracks. But they normally don’t last very long, and certainly don’t cause the amount of stress that I see the same sorts of things causing in other relationships.

The thing is, I’ve realized that for a lot of people, those simple misunderstandings that blow up into epic disasters in some romance novels may not happen to me, but they do happen to others. Some people do take things personally, and make assumptions that lead them down paths best left untraveled.

Perhaps it’s personality driven. I know for some people, the fear of being “blunt” keeps them from communicating clearly with others. For others drama seems to be a way of life – they aren’t happy unless something is in a state of chaos. And still others mislead people on purpose for whatever reason.

How do you deal with misunderstandings in your life? Do you actively try to avoid them by keeping the lines of communication open?