Those thorns are there for a reason. Beautiful things need to be protected. 
 
I have five daughters. When they were young the sheer terror of keeping them out of harm's way made me think that the witch who sequestered Rupunzel was on to something. Rapunzel may have been lonely, but as least she was safe.
 
Boundaries are one thorn that keeps us from grabbing when we should keep our hands to ourselves. We do well to resist the temptation to tell our partner how he or she feels, or what she or he thinks. 
 
One time John and I were arguing. Vociferously. At one point I shouted, "I am not mad, you are!"
 
To which he cleverly retorted "I am not angry, YOU are!"
 
At that point our collective emotional IQ, were it translated to pennies, would not buy a tall latte at Starbucks.
 
Roses are worth the effort it takes to have a dozen on your coffee table. The scent, when captured in a lead crystal bottle, costs more (Caron Poivre is $1000 per ounce) than the priciest cheese (made from Swedish moose milk, and fetches $500 a pound). The color is lovely enough to be the subject of generations of mushy Valentines, and the velvety petals rival a newborn's fontanel.
 
Your partner's thoughts are precious too.  Maybe that is why some are as hard to get to as Rapunzel. But those timid feelings can be wooed. 
 
I think I will try it. 
 
"John, John, let down your hair."