With the endless distractions thrown in our paths, we are oftentimes put in situations where we tell ourselves that we are “too busy.” Most of us assign that explanatory phrase to our relationships with others. So while we have a desire to get together with our old pals from a book club that was in […]

Read more "Strengthening the Ties between Us"

In March of 2005, my spouse and I went from a comfortable man-on-man defense to the somewhat frenetic zone method when we welcomed our third-born child. Two years later, when our youngest arrived, we were hopelessly outnumbered. I don’t use the descriptor “hopelessly” lightly. We really needed to abandon all hope in the notion that […]

Read more "Outnumbered, and Out Classed"

Recently, I had an opportunity to be on local TV as a member of a publicly elected board whose monthly meetings are now going to be televised. I have no fear of public speaking and went into the inaugural recording upbeat with the objective of making the meeting interesting, maybe even fun to watch. (Side […]

Read more "The Armchair (aka Ignorant) Critic"

Over the course of long-term relationships, we have the unique human opportunity to not only learn a great deal about the other person but also many things about ourselves through the relational lens that person employs when interacting with us. Unlike an acquaintance or even a friend, when one shares decades of  his/her life’s experience with […]

Read more "The Ghost (dead space) Between Us"

The other day I had a conversation with someone whom I’ve always liked. We got to talking about my recent trip with my 14-year-old daughter. I explained our family’s tradition of offering our children a trip anywhere they’d like when they get to the place where they are between “childhood” and “adulthood.” I shared my […]

Read more "Girls are Still Dealing with This"