As simple a task as it sounds, we often have difficulty listening to others. Remember, all you need to do is look at the person, clear your mind, ignore all the other distractions around you, and hang on every word they say. Okay, so maybe it’s not that simple; otherwise, more people would do it better. Part of the problem with listening is that we are too often preoccupied with other things to truly do listening well to someone when they have something that needs to be heard – and whether we like to admit it or not, we are not always interested in what the other person has to say. For … [Read more...]

"The best time to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust." (Josh Billings) Oh, the wisdom in this statement! Briefly walking down memory lane, I can only think of a few times my bursting of information was a good thing – one being after Eric proposed and I couldn't wait to tell the world! Yet, other times such bursting occurred include when I was pushed to the limit and I felt either I had to speak the venomous thoughts on my mind or bust – or when I heard some unbelievably juicy gossip and I felt like I was going to scream if I couldn't tell someone! Generally … [Read more...]

In yesterday’s post, Your Apology Language, Heather discussed the importance of understanding how you best receive apologies – which also affects what you likely do to give apologies. Gary Chapman, well-known author of The Five Love Languages, co-authored a book with Jennifer Thomas called, The Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships. In the book, they describe five primary languages of apology: Expressing Regret Accepting Responsibility Making Restitution Genuinely Repenting Requesting Apology Additionally, on Chapman’s 5lovelanguages … [Read more...]

Okay, I admit it: when I was in elementary school, I loved the show Happy Days. Even then, the show was playing as reruns, but I would beg Mom to get us home from school in time to see it. On a slightly more embarrassing note, I'd tape the shows, watch them over and over again, and then torture poor adults by attempting to recite the entire show to them while they were driving me somewhere. Arthur Fonzarelli, "The Fonz," one of the most memorable characters on the show, was so cool that no woman could resist him, no problem could not be solved by him, and no jukebox dared to refuse to play a … [Read more...]

Ladies, if you have been in a relationship for three months or longer, you have probably asked your guy, "What are you thinking about?" And, you've probably received this answer more than once, "Nothing." The majority of women immediately think their man is hiding something or avoiding a conversation. Well, I'm pleased to inform you that I have learned over the years that when Eric says he's thinking about nothing, he's actually thinking about… nothing. If guys are being serious when they say that they are thinking about nothing, why do women have such a hard time believing them? Well, the … [Read more...]