The friend who can sit comfortably with uncertainty gives the conversation room to breathe.

Some people cannot bear an unresolved question and will close it for you with a verdict, a prediction or a piece of advice. The relief is brief, and the thinking stops there. A friend who can sit inside something unfinished lets you turn it over aloud, follow a thought that goes nowhere, and arrive somewhere you would not have reached under pressure. Their patience is doing real work.

When someone brings you something unsettled, resist handing back an answer. Ask another question instead, and notice how much further they get.