Angel Flying too Close to the Ground (a revision of the post from yesterday)

Just got back from a great vacation in Oregon, and a few tales are coming from there. Here is one. We were drinking a nice beer and listening to a roving solo singer. Sal liked his voice and songs and I was less impressed. There was a line in one song that stuck in my mind. The line was the voice of a woman: "...don't pick me up before I fall..." So simple. Hit me pretty much between the eyes. I have always been on the lookout for trouble for my partner, and tried to head it off if possible. Sometimes good, sometimes bad strategy. Thinking about this for a few days, and Sal never mentioning it, I realized that I was very guilty of this. And it does them a disservice. It makes them think you don't trust them to either not fall, or not be able to get up by themselves. Worse probably is when you catch and they aren't falling. Not a good vote of confidence.Even saying this is hard because it sounds patronizing. But honest, you gotta trust your partner and let them fall (at least when the consequences aren't deadly) and be there if they need you. It is my nature to protect. But like when you raise kids, you gotta let them make their own mistakes. Let them fall off the bike a few times.
Song link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfBxfltYD0
Image: flickr.com/photos/jazzyg07/3711439554/