Living without regret

86,400 seconds in a day to turn it all around or throw it all away.
Seen in the context of seconds, we might be lulled into thinking that there is always more time ahead of us than there is behind us. This past week has been a turbulent one in my life. I lost a beloved relative, comforted a friend who was struggling ...


http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-living-without-regret

How to love your job.

It's a love/hate relationship that we struggle with for the majority of our lives. Although the situation and environment may change, we don't always view this relationship with gladness. However, very few of us get to go through life without entering into a relationship with our job. Let's face it. There are jobs you love and then there are jobs you love to hate...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-how-to-love-your-job

Knowing when to let go and walk away from a relationship.

The hardest part of any relationship is knowing when to let go. At some point, we all have to permit ourselves to let go of the other person in the relationship. This may mean letting a grown child leave home for the last time or letting a loved one leave this life. Regardless of the circumstances, letting go is never easy and...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-knowing-when-to-let-go-and-walk-away-from-a-relationship

How to be Successful

Years ago an analogy was given to a group of newly graduating business college students. One graduate posed a question regarding what type of business would be the most profitable to consider. The speaker thought for a moment then said, "If everyone of you could bundle up your own personal trials and obstacles...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-how-to-be-successful

Helping a Struggling Loved One Through Difficult Times

Among my close circle of family and friends, there seems to have been an overflowing of unexpected tragedies and sorrows this past week. It got me thinking that this life can change in an instant and the path that we each walk upon can alter in a blink of an eye without any effort on our part. Then my thoughts took me...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-helping-a-struggling-loved-one-through-difficult-times

Advice for a happy relationship/marriage

It is true that love makes the world go around. It is also true that love can die a very quick and painful death if we are not vigilant, causing your world to grind to a very unpleasant halt. It does not matter whether you have been together for 1 year or 50 years. In order to determine and maintain the health of your marriage or relationship, you should ask yourself these questions...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-advice-for-a-happy-relationship-marriage

Coping with Heart break

Every medical personnel worth their salt will tell you that the only broken heart is one that is anatomically dysfunctional. Yet, how many of us have felt that painful vise around our hearts that squeezes relentlessly causing us to gasp for breath and feel as though out heart is about to be crushed. Or felt as if our heart is being ripped out...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-coping-with-heart-break

Battle of the Exes

Some married couples are lucky enough to get it right the first time and get to spend a lifetime together. But other individuals often wait to get it right with their second or third attempt at marital bliss. While they may then find their perfect partner, they or their partner or both often bring an ex-spouse into the new union. This usually is the case...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-the-battle-of-the-exes-coping-with-previous-spouses

Redefining Disability and Mental Illness in Relationships

You see them walking down the street. They are in our schools, our governments, our churches, our neighborhoods, our homes. We work with them, marry them, give birth to them, befriend them, and are related to them. And yet, they are the most misunderstood individuals on the planet. Many of us know, love...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-redefining-disability-and-mental-illness-relationships

If you read nothing else, please read this article.

Title: Are you Guilty?

When we hear the words abuse or bully, we often think of violence perpetrated against one individual by another. Few of us believe that relationships should include bullying or abuse and yet we only recognize one or two aspects of these acts, that of physical violence or sexual assault. These acts are just a small part

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-are-you-guilty

Mirror, Mirror on the wall.

The hardest relationship to manage is the one that we have with ourselves. It is a fact that we are hardest on ourselves, tend to see ourselves through warped mirrors, and find it hardest to forgive ourselves. If we could learn to see ourselves through the eyes of others, we might learn that the person that we REALLY are down...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-mirror-mirror-on-the-wall

Bring Back Beaver Cleaver: The effects of disrespect.

About 50 years ago, any sign of disrespect would have been dealt with swiftly and decisively, if not by your parents, then by your teachers, employers, neighbors, anyone who was witness to the act of disrespect. Back then in our...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationship-guide-bring-back-beaver-cleaver-the-effects-of-disrespect

Dad is Dead: Conclusion

The "Dad is Dead" project instituted by my friend to teach his children resourcefulness, responsibility, and life skills has not been without it's bumps and pitfalls. The first was the "disappearance" of his youngest child on a trip to the grocery store. The intrepid 11-year-old decides to grocery shop at a store over a mile from his home...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationship-guide-dad-is-dead-conclusion

Dad Is Dead! Creating teaching moments with your children

I enjoy keeping up with old and new friends especially when they provide me with topics for new articles. One of my old high school friends did just that this week. His idea was so novel that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with my readers. First, however, you need some background...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-dad-is-dead-creating-teaching-moments-with-your-children

Into every life a little rain must fall.

Everyone will experience loss at some point in their lives. Most will experience loss many times during their lifetime. Friends will come and go, parents will eventually die, children may pass away or cut all contact with their family, lovers will leave, and personal loss such as respect, naïveté or innocence will occur. Loss is unavoidable...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Relationships Guide: Into every life a little rain must fall. - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-into-every-life-a-little-rain-must-fall

Relationships Guide: Cutting the apron strings.

One of the most rewarding and equally heartbreaking relationships in our lives is that of parent and child. It doesn't matter if the relationship is biological, relational, legal, or custodial, the bond that develops between the caregiver and the child is a strong emotional one. As parents, we put...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-cutting-the-apron-strings

Relationships Guide: Preparing your marriage for stormy weather.

Marriages go through a growth process and occasionally that growth is threatened. There are plenty of articles out there about the seven year itch, mid-life crises, and empty nest syndrome. While you may chuckle and say that these aren't actual events, the truth is...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationships-guide-preparing-your-marriage-for-stormy-weather

How to get things sizzling in the bedroom

What may have been a roaring flame when you first got together, is now no more than a few embers that occasionally flare with some semblance of fire. Time has done what you didn't think possible. It has made your love life with your partner turn predictable and let's face it, boring. No one believes that...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: How to get things sizzling in the bedroom. - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/how-to-get-things-sizzling-the-bedroom#ixzz1DnLxQ2CJ


http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/how-to-get-things-sizzling-the-bedroom

Avoiding the V-Day Traps.

There are hoards of individuals that look forward to Valentine's Day, but there are some among us who look upon it with dread and even outright fear. Let's face it. Commercials, businesses, even our own lovers can place so much hype on Valentine's Day that we begin to develop a complex that we may not...


http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/relationship-s-guide-avoiding-the-v-day-traps-1

Where is my happily ever after? Part VI

In the world of Walt Disney, Tiana kisses Naveen and the Frog Prince becomes human again and gets his Princess. Aurora is awakened by her first kiss from the handsome Prince Phillip and the two marry joining two kingdoms together. In Walt's world, romantic connections and endless love begin

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Where is my happily ever after? Part VI - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-vi#ixzz1D8HvrAT6

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-vi

Where is my happily ever after? Part V

In some fairy tales, the heroine has to kiss a few frogs before she finally lands her prince and some of the princes have to watch their princess go to some other man. Take Quasimodo and Esmeralda. There was certainly a love connection there but not one...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-v

Where is my happily ever after? Part IV

Beauty and the Beast's Gaston might have won the fair Belle if he had been more artistic or idealistic. But she chose the beast. She might have been better off with Gaston...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-iv

Where is my Happily Ever After? Part III

You won't admit it but you have a recurring fantasy. You meet this drop dead gorgeous woman who only has eyes for you. She is in this horrible predicament that only you have the power to save her from. You do so at the peril of life and limb and she agrees to...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Where is my Happily Ever After? Part III - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-iii#ixzz1CTq9HHb6

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-iii

Where Is My Happily Ever After? Part II

Every mother wants her son to grow up to be a hero and every girl wants to eventually settle down with that type of a partner. Let's face is though, not every man, or woman for that matter is cut out to be a hero. Just imagine if instead of Pocahontas befriending the alien looking John Smith...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Where is my happily ever after? Part 2 - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-2#ixzz1CTpstbcF

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-2

Where Is My Happily Ever After? Part I

Every woman has inside her that fairy tale princess that is looking for her handsome prince to come and whisk her away. Every man has in side him that prince who is seeking his princess who makes him feel like a king. We all want that Disney perpetuated happily ever after. What the fairy tales fail to...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Where is my happily ever after? Part I - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-i#ixzz1CTpcBRxo

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-is-my-happily-ever-after-part-i

Where Can I Turn For Help?

Let's face it. There are so many destructive issues pummeling the family in today's society. Like never before, kids are dealing with overt sexual peer pressure, bullying that has now gone viral, predators that target individuals both old and young through the medium of social networks and chat rooms, not to mention...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Where can I turn for help? - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-can-i-turn-for-help#ixzz1CTpDyDdp

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/where-can-i-turn-for-help

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do!

Relationships, like people, go through a life cycle. The relationship begins (birth), matures (aging), and eventually ends (death). Some relationship cycles are only weeks long while others last a lifetime. There is a saying, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it is yours forever. If it does not, then it was never...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Breaking up is hard to do. - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/if-you-love-something#ixzz1CTotBMSK

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/if-you-love-something

Playground Politics

It's every parents' nightmare. Their child comes home in tears and announces that they don't have any friends and no one likes them. Your heart breaks and you ache for the distress that your child is feeling. What can you do to ease their suffering?...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Playground Politics. - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/playground-politics#ixzz1CToZ2hOw

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/playground-politics

Can I really trust my partner?

With the advent of social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, getting reconnected to friends, family, and old acquaintances is now no more difficult than typing in a name and running a quick search. Thousands of people are reconnecting with old friends, old mentors, and old loves each day through the ease...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Can I really trust my partner? - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/can-i-really-trust-them#ixzz1CToC57CT

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/can-i-really-trust-them

You can't sleep on a drill press!

The adage "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" was never truer than when applied to the way the two sexes prioritize. For the most part, women tend to place priorities in the following rank of importance: family, home, friends, work, self. Men generally rank their priorities as: work, self, family and marriage, friends,...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: You can't sleep on a drill press! - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/you-can-t-sleep-on-a-drill-press#ixzz1CTnmUpox

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/you-can-t-sleep-on-a-drill-press

The Awesome Power of the Smallest Lie

You took that less than stellar job with the understanding that after nine months time, you'd get a substantial raise. You assumed that your boss would follow through on what you were told at the time you were hired but now a year has gone by and no raise is in sight. You are disillusioned, angry, and no longer...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: The Awesome Power of the Smallest Lie - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/the-awesome-power-of-the-smallest-lie#ixzz1CTnTv06C
http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/the-awesome-power-of-the-smallest-lie

Beware of Auld Lang Syne

Often in our current romantic relationships, we tend to look at what is going wrong instead of focusing on what is going right. This myopic view might lead to the temptation to renew old acquaintances with past loves in an attempt to recapture what may now appear in the memory as glory days of long ago. Stop! Desist! Take off those rose colored glasses...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Beware of Auld Lang Syne - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/beware-of-auld-lang-syne#ixzz1CTmrlMhr
http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/beware-of-auld-lang-syne

Compromise: A dirty word?

Compromise has been given a bad rap lately. To many individuals it means giving up what they feel is important in order to maintain a certain level of peace and functionality in a relationship. In actuality, compromise means...

http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/compromise-a-dirty-word

The generation gap is now the communication gap

"How is ur day?"

"It wuz bad."

"Y?"

"Cuz, my gf dumped me."

"OMG! Whatup?"

"Says we don't talk."

"LOL. U talk tons."

"WTH. Idk girlz r lame."

"Sucks 2 b u."

"Thx. TTYL GTG."

"K."

If you are over 30 years old, you have probably reached the point where you are now scratching your head, wondering what the above cryptic excerpt meant. Let's face it, society is...

Continue reading on Examiner.com: The generation gap Is now the communication gap - Los Angeles LA | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/the-generation-gap-is-now-the-communication-gap#ixzz1CTlokXWb
http://www.examiner.com/la-in-los-angeles/the-generation-gap-is-now-the-communication-gap

Welcome. Come in and pull up a chair.

I hope that you'll go on a journey with me as I explore and write about the variety and fabric of the relationships that make up our lives.  This blog offers me that chance to interact with my readers and get input and suggestions from you and what you'd like to read about.  Being a relationship columnist is a wonderful experience for me but I sometimes find myself running low on ideas, even though my years as a counselor and my own household have given me a lot of useful insight and material.  So I look forward to your comments and ideas.  Let me know what you'd like to know more about.  After all, I'd like to begin a close and personal relationship with each of my readers and the only way to achieve that is if you tell me what is important to you.