That's the bad news. The good news is that, with a little luck and a lot of work, you'll learn not to take these disappointments personally.

Intimate couples will inevitably encounter disappointment. When you know to expect this, when you know it does not mean the beginning of the end, then you are more empowered to take disappointments in stride. You can communicate your hurt feelings to your partner and hear her response. You can discuss how you each experienced the incident in question. You can acknowledge that it was not your intent to hurt or disappoint, or that you wish you had not promised more than you could deliver. Then you can forgive and begin again — and again!