Dragging last year’s fight into this one is like playing a new game with last season’s injuries.

Old grievances make a new disagreement unwinnable, because now the other person is defending a whole history instead of one thing they did on Tuesday. The argument grows until neither of you can remember what started it. Pulling the past in feels like strengthening your case; what it actually does is guarantee nothing gets settled.

Keep the next disagreement to the thing that happened. If something from months ago still stings, that deserves its own conversation on a calm day rather than being used as ammunition in this one.