I wanted to get the month off to a good start with a really good post so I was sitting at my desk this morning sipping on some coffee reflecting on what a fiasco the last few weeks seems to have been for me. I fought fire after fire. Everywhere I turned there was drama and chaos and tension. Someone stop this ride and let me off. I need to catch my breath.
I was brainstorming that idea. Air. Catching my breath. Most people equate oxygen with air as though they are one in the same but oxygen makes up only about 20% of the air we breath. Most of the air we breath is nitrogen. So oxygen is really a small component but its so important that we literally could not live without it.
Oxygen is a minor component in another must-have element. Water. What is the make-up of water? A couple of hydrogen molecules and ... Oxygen. And we all know just how important water is in our lives. When scientists look at the solar system for signs of life they are looking for water. Without it there is no life.
OK stick with me. Air and water. Both of these elements have incredible impact on a third element. FIRE. A fire with a good oxygen source will thrive and burn and produce heat and warm you (or burn you) but it lives on a fuel source and oxygen. Water on the other hand will kill a fire if you put enough on it. The same oxygen mixed nitrogen breaths life into a fire. Mix it with hydrogen and it kills it.
How many see where I am going? If you do then I congratulate you. If not let me try and explain things a little better.
We are the oxygen. You are. I am. And the fire is the relationship with our partner. The relationship will grow or die depending on what additional items we attach to ourselves. If we attach hydrogen (anger, bitterness, apathy, selfishness, negativeness, etc) then we produce water and we kill the fire. We kill the relationship. If we attach nitrogen (love, compassion, kindness, warmth, sympathy, caring, devotion, etc) then we produce air and we give the fire life. We grow it.
Now when the fire is dying it doesn't mean we did it. And sometimes the fire is blazing and we are just bystanders. Our partners have as much power over the fire as we do. And if you are reading this blog then I would be betting you are a nitrogen giver (air) and have a partner who is a hydrogen giver (water). I hope I am wrong.
The question now is how do we identify the things that produce nitrogen in a relationship (give it life) and eliminate the hydrogen production (water). The first part is easy I think. I re-recommend the book 5 Love Languages. It is packed with ideas for breathing life into a relationship. And when you see them in your partner encourage them. It will make them grow.
For the relationship killing items we need to tell ourselves they are not acceptable. And tell our partner. If something drives a wedge between you and makes you unhappy then they need to know. Find a way to tell them. If its you then make the decision to STOP.
HEARTWORK: Ask yourself what you are bringing to the party. Hydrogen or Nitrogen. Is it beyond your control? If the relationship is good then focus on making it better. Find new ideas. Encourage the good and make it clear the bad is not acceptable. If its bad then decide to fix it, live with it, or move on. You will know what you need to do there.
Send me ideas for bring Nitrogen to a relationhip. And if your relationship is full of hydrogen tell me why. Lets put a response list together and see what we can come up with.
brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The "One" Thing
The ONE thing. I am not sure exactly what that means but in the movie City Slickers “Curly” says the secret to life is just ONE thing. Sounds simple enough. Until he explains that the ONE thing is up to us to figure out. What my ONE thing is will be different than what yours is. How do we figure out what it is?
Before we brainstorm a little I want to say thank you to the people leaving comments and sharing ideas. They are great. In fact this blog is based on ideas from the comments. I can’t tell you how exciting that is for me. We actually have a brainstorming session going!
What exactly is the secret to being happy? Can you even define happiness? Lots of money? A big house? Nice cars? Nice clothes? A perfect sculpted body (Earned or store bought)? The right friends? Popularity? Fame? An impressive title at work? Something you hope to accomplish someday soon?
What about desires that less outwardly expressed? Like simplicity? A nice walk after work around the neighborhood holding hands with your soul-mate? A pond out in the back of the yard with a little waterfall that you listen to while you weed the garden you planted? A hobby that just gets you excited. A good book. Monday Night Football with a nice fire going (a personal favorite). How about laying in the dark talking to your soul-mate about nothing in particular…in only a whisper. (Ya I love that idea)
We often times let the world tell us how we should measure happiness. Its usually very wrong and only helps to make us more unhappy. And for goodness sake nobody should be reading romance novels and fantasizing about the life those people seem to have. The books are fiction. Make believe. Not reality or even close to it.
I think it is safe to say that happiness is a choice and not a goal. It is a result of the decisions we make on a daily basis. I cant remember the movie but I remember the actor saying I wake up each morning and decide I will be happy. Lets face it. 95% of the things in our life that make us unhappy are preventable or fixable. Inaction is the biggest reason we are not happy. Failure to recognize a problem and take honest steps toward a resolution.
The goal should be to find a way to be truly happy. Now. Not when we win the lotto or our ship comes in. Not when the sun and moon and stars are all in perfect alignment for us. Now. And let me just say right now that Dr. Dobson happiness is not good enough. If you are settling for that then I wish you all the best. This blog is not for you.
HEARTWORK: Examine your life and measure your happiness. Figure out what in the world is standing between you and happiness and take action. Wake up tomorrow and decide to smile. Decide to have a good positive attitude. Decide to recognize solutions and not focus on the problems.
And then share your ideas with us. Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Before we brainstorm a little I want to say thank you to the people leaving comments and sharing ideas. They are great. In fact this blog is based on ideas from the comments. I can’t tell you how exciting that is for me. We actually have a brainstorming session going!
What exactly is the secret to being happy? Can you even define happiness? Lots of money? A big house? Nice cars? Nice clothes? A perfect sculpted body (Earned or store bought)? The right friends? Popularity? Fame? An impressive title at work? Something you hope to accomplish someday soon?
What about desires that less outwardly expressed? Like simplicity? A nice walk after work around the neighborhood holding hands with your soul-mate? A pond out in the back of the yard with a little waterfall that you listen to while you weed the garden you planted? A hobby that just gets you excited. A good book. Monday Night Football with a nice fire going (a personal favorite). How about laying in the dark talking to your soul-mate about nothing in particular…in only a whisper. (Ya I love that idea)
We often times let the world tell us how we should measure happiness. Its usually very wrong and only helps to make us more unhappy. And for goodness sake nobody should be reading romance novels and fantasizing about the life those people seem to have. The books are fiction. Make believe. Not reality or even close to it.
I think it is safe to say that happiness is a choice and not a goal. It is a result of the decisions we make on a daily basis. I cant remember the movie but I remember the actor saying I wake up each morning and decide I will be happy. Lets face it. 95% of the things in our life that make us unhappy are preventable or fixable. Inaction is the biggest reason we are not happy. Failure to recognize a problem and take honest steps toward a resolution.
The goal should be to find a way to be truly happy. Now. Not when we win the lotto or our ship comes in. Not when the sun and moon and stars are all in perfect alignment for us. Now. And let me just say right now that Dr. Dobson happiness is not good enough. If you are settling for that then I wish you all the best. This blog is not for you.
HEARTWORK: Examine your life and measure your happiness. Figure out what in the world is standing between you and happiness and take action. Wake up tomorrow and decide to smile. Decide to have a good positive attitude. Decide to recognize solutions and not focus on the problems.
And then share your ideas with us. Brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Man In The Mirror
I have been talking to someone very important to me about life. Work, kids, home, dreams, wants, needs, you name it. One thing that has become a more visible component of our talks is how I view the world. I was sitting here this morning brainstorming my feelings on life and wow it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I no longer like the man I see in the mirror.
For almost my entire life I have been proud of who I am. The person I was deep down. When nobody was looking I was still me. And Grandma was proud. I was a man I wanted my children to grow to be like. Positive. The glass was more than half full and if it wasnt enough I could figure out how to get it filled to the rim.
Lately though it seems like too many waves are crashing on me and I cant stand against them. I don't know when it started but I see a short temper. I feel tired of the fight that I didn't pick. The fight I don't need and certainly don't want. I don't think I am the aggressor but I clearly am overly defensive when the old me would have smiled and walked away. I am not who I was. Grandma would smile and love me but she would not like what she sees.
How did this happen to me? When? What in the world am I thinking when I let the things that truly are NOT important to me just knock me off my feet and upset who I am? At the end of the day are these things of any value? Did I put all I had into a losing argument just to be upset and bitter? Worse yet, how much life and love am I missing out on because I let these things control me?
Is Susan Powder in the house?? Remember her? Her message was simple. STOP THE INSANITY. Take a measure of yourself and stop all the things that are undoing who you are. Make decisions based on fact and value, not on knee-jerk reactionary impulses that hurt our image far more than winning a meaningless fight would help it. In the end winning the fight will cost us the war. Because those we love the most will not want to be around us. They wont want to be involved with the man or woman it made us. And when we lose that, we lose everything.
Let me tell you it is not easy sitting alone and saying to yourself "wow, you really have changed. I don't like who we have become" Being that honest with yourself is hard. We want to justify everything. Its this reason, and that. And if this wasn't going on...please. Stop the insanity. Dig down and find your core. Decide to rebuild. Start being the person you remember you were. Start being the person you once loved. The person you were proud of.
HEARTWORK: Brainstorm the person you project to the world. If you were on the outside looking in, would you want to be this persons friend? Lover? Soul mate? If you answered no then get out the scalpel and start cutting out the parts you don't like. Get back to being the person you respected. Get back to being the person you wanted your sons or daughters to be. Get back to being the person others loved and wanted to be around. Be him again. Be her again.
BrainstormingLife@yahoo.com
For almost my entire life I have been proud of who I am. The person I was deep down. When nobody was looking I was still me. And Grandma was proud. I was a man I wanted my children to grow to be like. Positive. The glass was more than half full and if it wasnt enough I could figure out how to get it filled to the rim.
Lately though it seems like too many waves are crashing on me and I cant stand against them. I don't know when it started but I see a short temper. I feel tired of the fight that I didn't pick. The fight I don't need and certainly don't want. I don't think I am the aggressor but I clearly am overly defensive when the old me would have smiled and walked away. I am not who I was. Grandma would smile and love me but she would not like what she sees.
How did this happen to me? When? What in the world am I thinking when I let the things that truly are NOT important to me just knock me off my feet and upset who I am? At the end of the day are these things of any value? Did I put all I had into a losing argument just to be upset and bitter? Worse yet, how much life and love am I missing out on because I let these things control me?
Is Susan Powder in the house?? Remember her? Her message was simple. STOP THE INSANITY. Take a measure of yourself and stop all the things that are undoing who you are. Make decisions based on fact and value, not on knee-jerk reactionary impulses that hurt our image far more than winning a meaningless fight would help it. In the end winning the fight will cost us the war. Because those we love the most will not want to be around us. They wont want to be involved with the man or woman it made us. And when we lose that, we lose everything.
Let me tell you it is not easy sitting alone and saying to yourself "wow, you really have changed. I don't like who we have become" Being that honest with yourself is hard. We want to justify everything. Its this reason, and that. And if this wasn't going on...please. Stop the insanity. Dig down and find your core. Decide to rebuild. Start being the person you remember you were. Start being the person you once loved. The person you were proud of.
HEARTWORK: Brainstorm the person you project to the world. If you were on the outside looking in, would you want to be this persons friend? Lover? Soul mate? If you answered no then get out the scalpel and start cutting out the parts you don't like. Get back to being the person you respected. Get back to being the person you wanted your sons or daughters to be. Get back to being the person others loved and wanted to be around. Be him again. Be her again.
BrainstormingLife@yahoo.com
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Is Home Where the Heart is?
I have been really thinking about what I want to write this time. I have 4 topics I am currently working on but none of them are tugging at me too much so I spent a little time trying to figure out what was going on in my heart and mind. I analyzed all the data I have about my life and did a little processing. Something in that whole thing jumped out at me and I wanted to see what others thought.
Home. The place we are supposed to run to and escape the chaos of the world. A safe house in the war on life. A place where you feel loved and respected and care for and appreciated. Needed. Wanted. Desired even. A place that warms you up as you drive away from work. Where all those cares and concerns are supposed to magically melt away as you cross the threshold. The place where your lover is waiting for with a smile and a hug and a kiss.
What do you do when all the things you want to escape from are waiting for you at home? Petty bickering and anxiety and stress are all waiting there. Looming over the house like a dark cloud. You want to sneak in and get down the hall before they see you. You want to change with the door locked and hide in the room just a little while longer before you have to face them. You know you find words of kindness or compassion. You are going to hear about all the things you don’t do right. All the things you forgot to do. And the things you did and should not have. You are going to get a dish plate of sorrow, maybe a second helping just for good measure.
How do you handle it? Do you find the strength to persevere? Do you figure out how to deploy the Ducks Back defense? (That’s where you ignore everything and let it roll off you like water on a ducks back) Do you take the plate and tell yourself you deserve it? Its just deserts for you? Your lot in life. Do you stand up for yourself and say “Hey I am good partner and I am giving my all here so be nice to me”
What does it say about our relationship when we wake up in the morning looking forward to getting to work? Do you rush in the morning to get out of the house and free from them so you can breath? So you can get to work and feel appreciated? Loved? Do you love the feeling it gives you when colleagues say they have a problem and they come to you for help? For ideas? For solutions? Ya I sure do. Funny thing is that the smile I get lasts only as long as it takes for me to remember that I can’t figure out how solve my relationship problems. I can seem to answer everyone’s questions but my own. I can see solutions for everyone except for me.
Lunch is so pleasant. Friendly faces in your crowd. Laughing. Joking. Smiles. Flirting. Teasing. Encouragement. Stories about your kids. Sharing ideas you have for your garden or a vacation. Complaining that you cant get that last 5 pounds off and you are running out of energy for the gym! You know in your heart of hearts you want this for your life. You want this with him or her in a few short hours when you get home. You may even find yourself drifting off into a dream, a bite in your mouth still, picturing how it should be. And asking yourself why it isn’t.
Brainstorming question: How do you recapture the feeling that home is where the heart is? Can you identify the place and time when you notice you were losing that? Can you find a way to look back and say this and that happened and if I could change it here is what I think would happen? Does your partner know how you feel?
HEARTWORK: Ask yourself what changes do you need to make for yourself to have that happen? What changes do you need your partner to make? Can you make a list of things that are on your heart and sit down with them and say here is how I feel and WHY I feel this way…Can we work on this?
Your thoughts? brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Home. The place we are supposed to run to and escape the chaos of the world. A safe house in the war on life. A place where you feel loved and respected and care for and appreciated. Needed. Wanted. Desired even. A place that warms you up as you drive away from work. Where all those cares and concerns are supposed to magically melt away as you cross the threshold. The place where your lover is waiting for with a smile and a hug and a kiss.
What do you do when all the things you want to escape from are waiting for you at home? Petty bickering and anxiety and stress are all waiting there. Looming over the house like a dark cloud. You want to sneak in and get down the hall before they see you. You want to change with the door locked and hide in the room just a little while longer before you have to face them. You know you find words of kindness or compassion. You are going to hear about all the things you don’t do right. All the things you forgot to do. And the things you did and should not have. You are going to get a dish plate of sorrow, maybe a second helping just for good measure.
How do you handle it? Do you find the strength to persevere? Do you figure out how to deploy the Ducks Back defense? (That’s where you ignore everything and let it roll off you like water on a ducks back) Do you take the plate and tell yourself you deserve it? Its just deserts for you? Your lot in life. Do you stand up for yourself and say “Hey I am good partner and I am giving my all here so be nice to me”
What does it say about our relationship when we wake up in the morning looking forward to getting to work? Do you rush in the morning to get out of the house and free from them so you can breath? So you can get to work and feel appreciated? Loved? Do you love the feeling it gives you when colleagues say they have a problem and they come to you for help? For ideas? For solutions? Ya I sure do. Funny thing is that the smile I get lasts only as long as it takes for me to remember that I can’t figure out how solve my relationship problems. I can seem to answer everyone’s questions but my own. I can see solutions for everyone except for me.
Lunch is so pleasant. Friendly faces in your crowd. Laughing. Joking. Smiles. Flirting. Teasing. Encouragement. Stories about your kids. Sharing ideas you have for your garden or a vacation. Complaining that you cant get that last 5 pounds off and you are running out of energy for the gym! You know in your heart of hearts you want this for your life. You want this with him or her in a few short hours when you get home. You may even find yourself drifting off into a dream, a bite in your mouth still, picturing how it should be. And asking yourself why it isn’t.
Brainstorming question: How do you recapture the feeling that home is where the heart is? Can you identify the place and time when you notice you were losing that? Can you find a way to look back and say this and that happened and if I could change it here is what I think would happen? Does your partner know how you feel?
HEARTWORK: Ask yourself what changes do you need to make for yourself to have that happen? What changes do you need your partner to make? Can you make a list of things that are on your heart and sit down with them and say here is how I feel and WHY I feel this way…Can we work on this?
Your thoughts? brainstorminglife@yahoo.com
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Communication and the City
I can't believe it has been a month since I posted. Time gets away when you are not paying attention. Then you stop, look back, and realize how far the world has moved since you last took a measure of your life. You know, that is how life is. One day we are going to wake up and YEARS will have disappeared without a trace. With little if anything to show. Well...if you are not careful.
OK I said I wanted to talk about communication in this post and while I have a number of topics really pressing on me I do want to take some time and talk about this. As you can see from the title I did in fact see the movie Sex and the City. And I am getting a lot of inspiration from the relationship that Carrie and John (AKA Big) have. If you watch the movie you are almost certainly going to think they have a great relationship up until he stands her up at the alter. I beg to differ. And that is what I want to brainstorm.
Carrie and Big are in the kitchen of his apartment and they are making dinner and having a rather normal conversation. Nothing heavy duty, but they are talking. Earlier in the day (If I recall correctly) Big had made an offer on a spectacular apartment for them to live in together. A big step for them both. Carrie remarks that she is concerned about the idea because they are not married and she has no legal standing. Big kinda hints that he didn't know she felt that way about being married and she comments that she didn't think marriage was an option. STOP RIGHT THERE.
This woman has serious concerns about the direction her life is taking with this man and she doesn't think she can talk to him about it?? She hasn't brought it up or felt she even could. Why is that? Why does she feel she cant talk about one of the most important issues on her heart with the man she is in love with? What is it about their relationship that has her hiding the desires of her heart? What is it about our relationships that have us hiding the desires or our hearts? Why are the most important feelings and thoughts and emotions that we carry around in us hidden and unshared with our partner? When I think about a soul mate I think about a person that I can take ANYTHING to and say here this is, what do you think? Anything less just doesn't work for me. Sadly, I live with much less than that.
I also was wondering as I watched Carrie talking why in the world had Big not seen what she was going through? She had a look on her face that clearly said she was troubled. But he never asks her. He doesn't dig in and try to find the source of her dismay. He is more than happy to keep things just a bit more than superficial, without putting in the effort. And some people think Big and Carrie are a great love? If that is a big love kill me now. Who wants a partner that doesn't pick up your body language? A partner that doesn't hear all the things that your silence is screaming? A partner who has no clue there are unspoken words between you?
We know communication is a multi-faceted idea. There is talking, listening, looking, hearing, understanding, caring, and the list goes on. What do you do when you are talking to your partner and you know there is more they need to talk about but they can't find a way to do it? Like Carrie and marriage. She couldn't figure out how to tell Big she needed that. Are there things you see in your partner that you can't or won't help them explore? Why is that? Is there more on your own heart that you can't bring yourself to share? Again I ask why? Would you say you are honest with your partner?
Somewhere in my mind I want to believe that Big knew Carrie had something unspoken, and he ignored it. Why? I often feel that way. I don't understand body language that is clearly trying to tell me something and I don't care to find out what. And that bothers me. I listen to everything being said to me and I try to analyze as fast as possible, so the things I say are as relevant as possible. But what about the times I revisit a conversation and realize there was more there that I missed?
As Big and Carrie's wedding got closer you could see that it was now Big that had a serious issue he needed to talk about. But he hid it. He ignored it. He let the wedding get out of hand (from 75 guests to over 200) and from simplicity to crazy complexity. He was in a panic. And he couldn't tell her. His worst fears about marriage were weighing down on him and he struggled to resist the urge to deal with them. Now to his credit he did make a last minute effort. But come on sometimes late is not better than never. The longer he held back telling her the worse it got. The longer we hold back telling our partners what is going on in our hearts the worse it is on us. Think about it. We carry that around, weighing down on us, alone. And we look at our partner and think that they should be helping us with our burdens and they are not, and we sometimes get mad at them for that. But is it their fault?
I think I am going to need a part 2 to this post. I have a lot more on my about communication and I am not going to get it done today. I will leave you with an idea. How would you rate the communication in your relationship? How would your partner rate it?
HEART WORK: Examine your heart. Ask yourself if the things you desire, the thoughts you have, your emotions, your dreams, your ideas, does your partner know them? If not ask yourself why. Then flip the coin and ask if you know your partners. And if not, why? And here is a different idea for you. While you are trying to figure out how to share yours, put some serious efforts into trying to figure out how to get them to share theirs. Maybe if you help them tear down a wall, a flood will follow. And who knows where that will take you. Good places I would imagine.
Email BrainStormingLife@yahoo.com.
Until next time...
OK I said I wanted to talk about communication in this post and while I have a number of topics really pressing on me I do want to take some time and talk about this. As you can see from the title I did in fact see the movie Sex and the City. And I am getting a lot of inspiration from the relationship that Carrie and John (AKA Big) have. If you watch the movie you are almost certainly going to think they have a great relationship up until he stands her up at the alter. I beg to differ. And that is what I want to brainstorm.
Carrie and Big are in the kitchen of his apartment and they are making dinner and having a rather normal conversation. Nothing heavy duty, but they are talking. Earlier in the day (If I recall correctly) Big had made an offer on a spectacular apartment for them to live in together. A big step for them both. Carrie remarks that she is concerned about the idea because they are not married and she has no legal standing. Big kinda hints that he didn't know she felt that way about being married and she comments that she didn't think marriage was an option. STOP RIGHT THERE.
This woman has serious concerns about the direction her life is taking with this man and she doesn't think she can talk to him about it?? She hasn't brought it up or felt she even could. Why is that? Why does she feel she cant talk about one of the most important issues on her heart with the man she is in love with? What is it about their relationship that has her hiding the desires of her heart? What is it about our relationships that have us hiding the desires or our hearts? Why are the most important feelings and thoughts and emotions that we carry around in us hidden and unshared with our partner? When I think about a soul mate I think about a person that I can take ANYTHING to and say here this is, what do you think? Anything less just doesn't work for me. Sadly, I live with much less than that.
I also was wondering as I watched Carrie talking why in the world had Big not seen what she was going through? She had a look on her face that clearly said she was troubled. But he never asks her. He doesn't dig in and try to find the source of her dismay. He is more than happy to keep things just a bit more than superficial, without putting in the effort. And some people think Big and Carrie are a great love? If that is a big love kill me now. Who wants a partner that doesn't pick up your body language? A partner that doesn't hear all the things that your silence is screaming? A partner who has no clue there are unspoken words between you?
We know communication is a multi-faceted idea. There is talking, listening, looking, hearing, understanding, caring, and the list goes on. What do you do when you are talking to your partner and you know there is more they need to talk about but they can't find a way to do it? Like Carrie and marriage. She couldn't figure out how to tell Big she needed that. Are there things you see in your partner that you can't or won't help them explore? Why is that? Is there more on your own heart that you can't bring yourself to share? Again I ask why? Would you say you are honest with your partner?
Somewhere in my mind I want to believe that Big knew Carrie had something unspoken, and he ignored it. Why? I often feel that way. I don't understand body language that is clearly trying to tell me something and I don't care to find out what. And that bothers me. I listen to everything being said to me and I try to analyze as fast as possible, so the things I say are as relevant as possible. But what about the times I revisit a conversation and realize there was more there that I missed?
As Big and Carrie's wedding got closer you could see that it was now Big that had a serious issue he needed to talk about. But he hid it. He ignored it. He let the wedding get out of hand (from 75 guests to over 200) and from simplicity to crazy complexity. He was in a panic. And he couldn't tell her. His worst fears about marriage were weighing down on him and he struggled to resist the urge to deal with them. Now to his credit he did make a last minute effort. But come on sometimes late is not better than never. The longer he held back telling her the worse it got. The longer we hold back telling our partners what is going on in our hearts the worse it is on us. Think about it. We carry that around, weighing down on us, alone. And we look at our partner and think that they should be helping us with our burdens and they are not, and we sometimes get mad at them for that. But is it their fault?
I think I am going to need a part 2 to this post. I have a lot more on my about communication and I am not going to get it done today. I will leave you with an idea. How would you rate the communication in your relationship? How would your partner rate it?
HEART WORK: Examine your heart. Ask yourself if the things you desire, the thoughts you have, your emotions, your dreams, your ideas, does your partner know them? If not ask yourself why. Then flip the coin and ask if you know your partners. And if not, why? And here is a different idea for you. While you are trying to figure out how to share yours, put some serious efforts into trying to figure out how to get them to share theirs. Maybe if you help them tear down a wall, a flood will follow. And who knows where that will take you. Good places I would imagine.
Email BrainStormingLife@yahoo.com.
Until next time...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Involvement
I have been talking to various people lately and I see two common themes that keep a relationship from living up to its full potential. Involvement and communication. I want to brainstorm them individually so we get as much time as we need for each one. This time we will cover involvement, next time communication. I decided to go with involvement first because I think it’s the easiest to work on if you really want to make the effort to strengthen your relationship.
I was recently on a plane flying across the country and I got lucky enough to sit next to an elderly lady on her way to visit her daughter, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. She started talking as soon as I sat down and you know I couldn’t refuse a good conversation. She was so excited about her trip. She makes it every year as soon as it starts to warm up. It’s a chance to get out and stretch her legs, see the beautiful Carolina landscapes, and soak up some family time. She asked me if I like to travel. I said oh yes I sure do. She said she LOVES it. She had a dream of buying a motor home and going to every state she could and see as much of the country as possible when she retired. It was a dream. I told that was a great dream and she should do it!!
The problem she was having is that her husband doesn’t want to do it. He hates to travel. She then started to talk about how she was in this club and that club and she had this hobby and that hobby. But she did them all alone. She waited for him to retire to do things with him and he has no desire to do them. She said he was a good man. And she did love him and she respected him. But she wished he would get involved in her life. That was her only regret she says...that she had a partner that wasn’t interested in the life she was interested in.
That brings us to the brainstorming part. Do we wake up one day and realize our partner’s are not really interested in us or do we see it happening gradually over time? When the relationship starts to get stale, or is flat out dying, why do they sit on the sidelines completely oblivious to the signs and symptoms? Do they realize what it would mean to us to go out into the backyard with us and just sit there while we do a hobby like gardening. How about a stroll around the mall just because we want one?
OK Maybe the real question I am asking is do they not see how little things mean so much to us? You know it’s not a big diamond ring or a new car that endears us to our lovers. It's all the things they do that are undeniably from the heart. I read a letter today that a guy wrote to a relationship counselor. He was talking about how he felt things had become so routine, and how the things that should be special (like love making) seemed to be in fast-forward mode to get it over with as fast as possible. He said he would like for her to touch him as they pass in the hall. Or to let him somehow know she still finds him sexy. How does the relationship go from make-out sessions that left your lips puffy to a routine that you both wish were just over as fast as possible? How do you go from being locked together all time to space so far between you that you can’t see the other side? Another item I read this week dealt with the loneliness that is a loveless relationship. I wonder if the little things in life, the time spent with them doing something they enjoy, is glue that keeps the hearts connected.
Have you ever felt like you live with this person and they don’t even know who you are?If you read the 5 Love Languages book I recommended then you know Quality Time and Acts of Service are love languages we speak to our partners. When we do them, we put love in their tanks. When we complain about doing them, we open the valve and let the good stuff run out. One last question and I ask this with a big fat smile on my face. When you have a treasure in your life, how in the world do you not find every excuse possible to spend time with that person? I close my eyes and I dream of what it would be like to come home at night and ask her what she wants to do. I wouldn’t care what she said so long as I got to do it with her.
HEART WORK: Ask yourself if there are ways you could spend time with your partner that would really make them happy. Are there little things you used to do that you could start doing again? Would it be so bad to go out of your way to let them know how you feel about them? And please, take the time to read the book. Seriously. If you want to fall in love again read the book. I strongly believe that love is not a reactionary emotion, it’s a proactive action. Love is what we do far more than what we feel. You want more from your partner love him/her? With actions. Read the book. http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/
If you have your own ideas or stories lets hear them. BrainstormingLife@yahoo.com
I was recently on a plane flying across the country and I got lucky enough to sit next to an elderly lady on her way to visit her daughter, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. She started talking as soon as I sat down and you know I couldn’t refuse a good conversation. She was so excited about her trip. She makes it every year as soon as it starts to warm up. It’s a chance to get out and stretch her legs, see the beautiful Carolina landscapes, and soak up some family time. She asked me if I like to travel. I said oh yes I sure do. She said she LOVES it. She had a dream of buying a motor home and going to every state she could and see as much of the country as possible when she retired. It was a dream. I told that was a great dream and she should do it!!
The problem she was having is that her husband doesn’t want to do it. He hates to travel. She then started to talk about how she was in this club and that club and she had this hobby and that hobby. But she did them all alone. She waited for him to retire to do things with him and he has no desire to do them. She said he was a good man. And she did love him and she respected him. But she wished he would get involved in her life. That was her only regret she says...that she had a partner that wasn’t interested in the life she was interested in.
That brings us to the brainstorming part. Do we wake up one day and realize our partner’s are not really interested in us or do we see it happening gradually over time? When the relationship starts to get stale, or is flat out dying, why do they sit on the sidelines completely oblivious to the signs and symptoms? Do they realize what it would mean to us to go out into the backyard with us and just sit there while we do a hobby like gardening. How about a stroll around the mall just because we want one?
OK Maybe the real question I am asking is do they not see how little things mean so much to us? You know it’s not a big diamond ring or a new car that endears us to our lovers. It's all the things they do that are undeniably from the heart. I read a letter today that a guy wrote to a relationship counselor. He was talking about how he felt things had become so routine, and how the things that should be special (like love making) seemed to be in fast-forward mode to get it over with as fast as possible. He said he would like for her to touch him as they pass in the hall. Or to let him somehow know she still finds him sexy. How does the relationship go from make-out sessions that left your lips puffy to a routine that you both wish were just over as fast as possible? How do you go from being locked together all time to space so far between you that you can’t see the other side? Another item I read this week dealt with the loneliness that is a loveless relationship. I wonder if the little things in life, the time spent with them doing something they enjoy, is glue that keeps the hearts connected.
Have you ever felt like you live with this person and they don’t even know who you are?If you read the 5 Love Languages book I recommended then you know Quality Time and Acts of Service are love languages we speak to our partners. When we do them, we put love in their tanks. When we complain about doing them, we open the valve and let the good stuff run out. One last question and I ask this with a big fat smile on my face. When you have a treasure in your life, how in the world do you not find every excuse possible to spend time with that person? I close my eyes and I dream of what it would be like to come home at night and ask her what she wants to do. I wouldn’t care what she said so long as I got to do it with her.
HEART WORK: Ask yourself if there are ways you could spend time with your partner that would really make them happy. Are there little things you used to do that you could start doing again? Would it be so bad to go out of your way to let them know how you feel about them? And please, take the time to read the book. Seriously. If you want to fall in love again read the book. I strongly believe that love is not a reactionary emotion, it’s a proactive action. Love is what we do far more than what we feel. You want more from your partner love him/her? With actions. Read the book. http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/
If you have your own ideas or stories lets hear them. BrainstormingLife@yahoo.com
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Only in the movies?
I saw “Made Of Honor” the other day. I thought it was a really good movie and it really touched my heart. Tom and Hannah, the main characters, are best friends. They do everything together. They play games. They talk and listen and they know what the other is thinking. They have that connection that we have talked about here since the beginning. Best of all it was so natural. So unscripted. So effortless. It just flowed from the heart and it could not be faked or denied. It was wonderful to watch them interact with each other because you could see that deep heartfelt connection that is the foundation for the best of loves. I watched the movie and I saw so much in their relationship that I have dreamed about. Things I am jealous of. Things that made my heart say PLEASE I WANT THAT TOO!
Tom orders Starbucks for Hannah. One of those crazy formulas that only a Starbuck-aholic has any idea what is being said when it’s ordered. He remembers what she likes to the tiniest detail. He orders lunch for the two of them, and he makes sure he gets the things she loves most. They go to a bakery to get a desert, a random desert, and they are playing a guessing game on which desert will scratch the itch that day. They eat off each others plate (that was so great) It is very clear that they are absolutely the best of friends.
So I am watching and I am wondering…what is wrong with this man? Doesn’t he see?! Does he have a clue what he has in the woman that sits across from him? How is he missing the obvious fact that this is his soul mate? How could he be so blind? Is it blindness or is it apathy? Do we just take for granted that these treasures will always remain ours? Tom clearly thought Hannah would always be there for him. He was taking what he had for granted.
I did a lookup of that phrase “take for granted.” I got back interesting words. Assume. Undervalue. The opposite meaning is “appreciate.” Tom didn’t appreciate the gift he had.
Not until it was walking out the door.
WHY? Why did she have to be leaving for him to see what was walking away? I just don’t understand how people can be so blind, or so clueless, to what is sitting right there staring them in the eyes. Did he choose not to see it for fear he would have to give up the lifestyle he had? Yes in part because that idea was debated by tom and the guys on the basketball court. I almost came out of the chair to scream YOU FOOL! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING??!?!
There is a very interesting part of the movie where Tom decides to try some of the things he loves most about his relationship with Hannah on the girls he is dating. Nothing worked. Is it any wonder why? None of the girls got it. They didn’t see the neat little games he was trying to play with them. There wasn’t that exchange of emotion or love or understanding. I guess he could have taken a moment to say “When I do this, you are supposed to do that” But what fun is there in that? Who wants to force it to happen? He didn’t have to explain the rules to Hannah, because her heart already knew them. Without being told. How does that happen?
Oh ya we are supposed to be brainstorming. Actually I asked a lot of questions already so let’s get down to business.
HEART WORK: Ask yourself “What am I looking for?” What are you missing? Seriously. If you could order off an ala-carte relationship menu what items are on the menu that you can’t live without? Is what we want only found in the movies? Take an honest moment and evaluate what your heart is begging for.
Think about it.
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