Relationships & Love

Have you heard of the seven-year itch?  The classic term describes how a marriage declines around the seventh year, largely because the two partners aren’t as satisfied with each other as they once were. My first serious relationship crashed

There are many ways to live in the closet. You can live in the closet as a gay person, or lesbian, or transgender, or even as someone who suffers from a mental illness. I was one of those

Moving in with your partner is a big life change. People say you don’t really know everything about your relationship until you live with your special someone. Well, I thought I knew everything about my fiancé when we

“Having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn’t see them as disasters in your soul, but cracks to put their love into, is the most calming thing in this world.”   ― Emery Allen Conflict is inevitable. But we

Years ago, during a recapitulation of my life, I examined every memory I had of my relationship with my father.  I looked at us fearlessly and was, at the end of my examination, finally at peace with Dad. 

“Every man on this planet is taking his initiation in love.”                     – Florence Shinn, The Game of Life and How to Play It Initiations in love can be painful

“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.” – Mahatma Gandhi I used to do anything to avoid a fight – back down, shut up, laugh awkwardly, tiptoe around, leave the room, go for a drive,

As a university instructor teaching entrepreneurship, I am always surprised at how even my smallest perceived action can affect a student.  For example, last month one of my student teams referenced me in their business plan as an

“No matter how difficult and painful it may be, nothing sounds as good to the soul as truth.” – Martha Beck A Facebook post caught my eye. In it, a friend had outlined a long day of work,

A short time ago, Uncle Mike died. That’s not entirely accurate. He stopped being my uncle about 40 years ago. My aunt, who is my mother’s sister, got divorced from Uncle Mike back in the 1970′s. It was a short marriage, just long enough to have a couple of kids. She remarried Scott, who feels much more like an uncle than Mike did.

But I never did call him “Uncle Scott.” In an effort to establish my independence and maturity, I decided to call him simply by his first name. My parents and my aunt didn’t seem to object, nor did Scott. So Scott he was…and continues to be to this day.