“To be honest, I was wiped out yesterday and worried that I might not be up for our bigger day if I didn’t rest,” my partner said, turning his head so I could hear him as I hiked behind him on the trail.

Cue my inner double-take.

We had decided to take a “zero day” on our backpacking trip — staying in one spot for two nights in a row to hang out and rest. I was feeling stiff, sore, and very tired. And … to be honest, I had a bit of self-judgment going on that I was an out-of-shape loser. I had no indication from him that he was also feeling drained and needing rest.

“What, really?” I replied, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Cue his shrug. After a few moments, he concluded, “I just didn’t want to be a bummer or bring the vibe down.”

The interesting thing is that had he shared with me the day

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