The Girl You Lost to Cocaine

"You are not my problem, you are my last."-Sia

Sexxxy!

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A Bittersweet Moment

"The gray looming clouds have lifted as the sun shines through illuminating a rainbow over a mirage of red autumn leaves.   A sense of peace eases her breathing as cool air permeates her chest creating a sensation prompting a reminder that the past is only the past where as the next chapter has already begun.  Hope never surfaced within tracing old foot prints that only lead to a secluded cave of anonymity and seclusion.  Trudging through her new tracks, a sigh of relief, ultimately confirmed what she was waiting for is finally here.  The sun caressing her face didn't make her flinch as she continued walking away from the voices calling her name.   Bright beams of light blinded her as she stepped on to the round pebbles rolling her towards the new life. As the voices drowned in the back of her mind, there only remained one glaring mysterious shadow waiting to greet her—into the unknown. "         

Carla Bruni: Love, Marriage & Work

Be Careful What You Wish For

It’s that ideal job, ideal home or even perhaps that ideal relationship that one yearns for yet has no clue that there is no standard ideal in this world. If ladies are seeking a man with specific looks, income or lifestyle just remember that there is always a catch. The catch doesn’t become apparent in the short term yet instead it surfaces on its own in the long term. What is this catch? It can range from settling with the wrong partner for the wrong reasons to being with a partner hoping they will change. Folks, people cannot change other people. People may influence other people though heed that change can only transpire from within or else—one will be waiting forever to realize that we can only work miracles on ourselves. Majority of us have a checklist for meeting our ideal mates, where we’re made to believe that every box on the list needs to be marked off to immune oneself from relationship problems. Not so. If an individual finds a mate that meets 80% of the characteristics they are seeking in a date, it is considered a healthy sign to proceed exploring the relationship further with this match.

Be Careful What You Wish For
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It is not possible for couples to relate to one another 100% as long as there are two separate minds situated in the same air space, there is apt to be difference in opinion which ultimately leads to some situational conflicts. Many couples perceive that conflict serves as a bad ingredient to a relationship but those who are smart to engage in conflict resolution can testify that 90% of the time it can only improve the state of the existing relationship. So how is the latter 20% accounted for when our prospect matches 80% of our checklist? It is the latter 20% that makes the relationship interesting from introducing the partners to different mindsets, lifestyles and challenges that nurture the dynamics of this evolving union. Is this 80/20 ratio valid for all couples? Not all the time. The ratio may vary in favor of the couple or it may not lead marriage counselors to believe that the 80/20 rule sets forth a healthy baseline from which a relationship can flourish. Among those couples that pass the 80/20 rule, these couples encountered less arguments yielding one down moment for every five positive moments spent together. It’s never too late to assess where one’s relationship stands so the proper measures can be implemented to move on forward with clarity leaving behind any remnants of uncertainty. Do you know where you stand?

His Family’s Affect on Your Marriage

We live in a fast paced world where either we are chasing someone or are being chased. Well today’s tit-for-tat is dedicated to those that have been captured and are married—happily— or is it so?   It's not unusual when we cross paths with loving couples that we wonder if these  two individuals bide well with their in-laws.   Dating the right partner for us can be an exciting experience if the individual wants this relationship to manifest into marriage over time. Not only is the woman dating the man because she feels he enriches her life; as well  she is dating his family to some degree too (if you really think about it).    She may be marrying the guy though in theory she is adopting a whole new family into her life whether she acknowledges it or not, ultimately yielding a challenge for her if the family is not as loving as her hubby.    Marriage is basically a ‘buy one get one free deal’ where the woman is not only engaging in a relationship with her man yet also his family. Depending on how well he gets along with his family and his relatives, it is predictable to encounter a difference in opinions during the life of the marriage.
Some in-laws are very welcoming while others can be intrusive enough to make one reconsider why they even got married in the first place. If the woman’s in-laws are already running her husband’s life now, it will only get worse with time.    After all the woman may have her own way of creating a home and raising a family; to the contrary the in-laws may think their lifestyle supersedes everyone else thus creating rifts among the couple’s marriage.     Not everyone acknowledges boundaries of personal space, privacy and foremost life transitions.   Most families have characters that can make one’s mind spin from the crazy uncle to the sibling that makes the news for raising havoc.  Marriage is not a haven for perfection yet it can become overwhelming when third parties, especially families—or his family particularly, begin to engage in making conjugal life decisions on behalf of the couple.  

His family may not be a problem but his family’s affect on him is a cause of concern.  

If his family is drama prone, stress will ultimately transfuse into the marriage where the wife is an involuntary bystander trying to alleviate his burden or distance him from his relatives.  He cannot use his parents or his father particularly as a reason to defer making life decisions on his own.   If anyone is using money or emotional manipulation to control the hubby, hubby is smart enough to know his parents are going to die anyway--fake lingering heart problems or not.  Only a weak man uses his father as an excuse to avoid any emotional or social responsibility.  The wife is not to blame for his family's behaviors, likewise it is not her job to put out the fires that are caused by other people.

Inquiring minds would like to know, "Is your guy MAN enough to take a stand?".

"Man Up Buddy"
Courtesy of J. Whiteway

Put A Ring On It