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Let’s Talk About Stress
Let’s talk about STRESS. All of us are constantly under some level of stress. The Cleveland Clinic defines stress as, “…a natural human reaction that happens to everyone.” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11874-stress They even suggest that stress can be a positive thing. Stress can help our body adjust to new situations, keeps us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger. How we handle stress, however, can affect our relationship, especially if we handle stress differently from each other. Avoiding the Subject Karen: Like many Americans, Scott and I are experiencing stress around the election. And it does not seem likely that this stress will just go away after the polls close. Watching the…
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Knowing and Loving
Back in 1958, a group known as The Teddy Bears recorded the song, “To Know Him is to Love Him.” To Know Him Is To Love Him (youtube.com) It’s kind of a schmaltzy ballad, to be sure, but thinking of the title of the song causes us to wonder: how many of us really know our spouse… really know them…beyond “The Newlywed Game” know them? Do we know their innermost thoughts and feelings, their joys and sorrows, griefs and anxieties, hopes and dreams? The Journal Karen: Many years ago, my parents gave me a diary for my 12th birthday. I filled that little book with all the typical adolescent girl…
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An Attitude of Gratitude
Many years ago, we attended a meeting which began with a presentation titled, “Having an Attitude of Gratitude.” Through the course of that day, we learned that gratitude is ever so much more than a feeling. Gratitude is also a decision. We can choose an attitude of gratitude. We can decide to be grateful even during difficult and painful times. Over the years, we have experienced the difference being grateful makes in our lives and in our relationship.
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Do You Remember the Last Fight You Had?
A number of years ago we heard a presentation that began with this question: “Do you remember the last fight you had?” Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, the presenters that day, Good Fights–some thoughts from Drs Les and Leslie Parrott | ajournalofthejourney (wordpress.com) then gave the audience a few minutes to think about it and quickly share their answers with each other. We vividly remember the fight we shared:
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Opposites Attract?
You have likely heard the saying, “opposites attract.” While this is not always true, for many couples it is true. And when it is true, we have discovered that we can draw on our differences to make us a stronger couple.
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In Sickness and in Health… Even During Cold and Flu Season
On our wedding day, we looked deeply into each other’s eyes and promised, among other things, to be true to each other in sickness and in health… all the days of our lives. While the two of us take that vow seriously, we have discovered over the years that it is not always easy. Especially during cold and flu season. Suffice it to say we do not suffer minor illnesses in the same way. Suck It Up Karen: Perhaps you have heard the joke that the closest a woman will ever come to knowing what it is like for a man suffering from a common cold is when she is…
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Show Me Who Your Friends Are…
Mom frequently told me, “show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are,” which usually meant, “I don’t like the people you are hanging around with.” Yet we have discovered much wisdom in her words and know firsthand the importance of deep friendships with other married couples. There is much written on the benefits of these friendships: The Benefits of Couple Friends – Prepare/Enrich (prepare-enrich.com). 7 Ways Couple Friends Can Make A Happier Marriage – (salteffect.com). We have come up with a few of our own.
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You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello
You say good-bye and I say hello (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblYSKz_VnI) is more than just an old Beatles song. Saying good-bye is rarely easy. Whether it be to a loved one in death, a move to a new city, a child going off to college, or changing jobs, good-byes are almost always painful. How we move through our good-byes can bring us closer to each other or pull us apart.
