# walking on eggshells (threshold)

*Ordinarily means:* being overly careful in a fragile relationship

a bond whose safety parameter sits at the wall of its window, leaving only a narrow margin that maintenance must constantly keep within, so each interaction risks crossing the wall and breaking the bond.

- Computed level: L20 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: bonds and their maintenance

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [window](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window.range), [wall](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wall.range-end), [parameter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-parameter.condition), [maintenance](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-maintenance.upkeep), [connection](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-connection.social)

**Through:** the safety parameter drifts toward the wall while maintenance works to keep the connection within the window

**Novel properties:**
- barely positive safety margin

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-walking-on-eggshells.threshold*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-walking-on-eggshells.threshold.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*