Recently, an article in the Chicago Tribune addressed problems that can occur when couples don’t like to watch the same TV shows. One person lounges in the living room watching crime shows such as Law and Order and NCIS, while the other holes up downstairs binging on the sports channel. While an occasional watching of…
DetailsIt’s been a long and stressful day at work. You come home, looking for a little relief, support, perhaps even some affirmation. But what you get is . . . more stress, unmet expectations, invalidation, and down right meanness. Today it crosses the line of your ability to tolerate and you say – “that’s it. …
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That is a question that I have had to ask myself lately. As I mentioned previously, after 29 years in the same house, my wife and I are moving in order to do two things: be nearer kids and grandkids, and to downsize. Moving closer to family is easy. Downsizing – that has been a…
DetailsI recently came across a thoughtful article written by psychotherapist Winifred M. Reilly. While she discussed the naïve optimism that most of us enter marriage with, she went on to list 35 lessons that she had learned in her 35 years of marriage. I have selected my top ten favorites to share with you here. …
DetailsHave you ever been hiking in the forest and come across a pond? If you have, you probably immediately noticed whether it was a pond that had an inlet with fresh water flowing or whether it was stagnant. If it was stagnant, you were probably more likely to see mosquitoes and other bugs. I doubt…
Details“When we stood there getting married, I remember the preacher saying, ‘For better, for worse; in sickness, and in health.” I was 20 years old and I thought, I wonder what ‘in sickness and in health means. I thought, he’ll have a stroke in 40 years; I can do that.” – Darnly Motter Many of…
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I recently read a quote by author Matthew Kelly in which he said, “The Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa talk about ‘the Two Hungers.’ There is the Great Hunger and the Little Hunger. The Little Hunger yearns for food while the Great Hunger, the greatest hunger of all, is the hunger for…
DetailsFor some, flying is a relatively pleasant experience. For others it is stressful and may even require anti-anxiety medicine. Regardless of which category you find yourself in, the trip can either be positively or negatively impacted before you ever leave the ground, when you encounter the ticket agent. You may have encountered, as I have,…
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For most people, happiness seems to be a reaction – a reaction to an event or a set of circumstances. For example, many people have been certain that if they just won the lottery, they would have all that they need and they would be happy. Yet, many stories of lottery winners offer a very…
Details“People are different.” You’re probably so impressed by the profoundness of those words – let’s try another. “Men and women are even more different.” Now you may be thinking I’m a genius (or not). So, how about this – “You and your spouse are really different from one another.” When most people get married they…
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