The V-Word

by Tina Tessina

1. Keep it simple: Don’t make your proposal plans too elaborate. The more complicated the proposal plan, the more likely something will go wrong. Make it a private moment, between just you two. You can save the big splash for the engagement announcement. If you guessed wrong about your partner’s willingness, you’ll be disappointed, but at least you won’t be publicly embarrassed.

“Being listened to, is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference.”  -David Oxberg

When I walked into Starbucks today for a late afternoon cup of tea to accompany me on my way home, I walked in on a young barista telling his invisible co-worker in the back room how tired he was of being told what to do. He said, “I don’t want you to give me advice, I just wanted someone to...

It’s not always easy to be in a relationship, no matter how old you are. Conflicts are impossible to avoid, but if you have the right tools, you can avoid conflicts from becoming destructive. Below is a list of tips from our very own Dr. Romance about cultivating the healthiest relationship possible.

1. It’s not about who’s right or wrong it’s about solving the problem together. If you try to win...

by Elizabeth Spannuth

I need a new bed. One might think that the choice to get a new bed would be a no-brainer, but I am discovering that my attachment to my luxurious double pillow top friend is deeper than I ever knew. This was the first brand new bed that I can remember having. For 13 years it has given me hours of excellent rest and rejuvenation, as well as serving as a platform for various...

by Anastasia Strgar

“Change is a funny thing. We’re never quite sure of what we’re becoming or why. Then one day, we look at ourselves and wonder who we are and how we got there.” -Unknown

The nature of the current day relationship has changed. Infused with increasing technology invented to build and sustain relationships such as social media and online dating, along with the tragic endings of...

By Tina Tessina, PhD

Has your sex life gone to sleep? No matter what the old wives’ tales say about it, there’s no reason not to have sex in long-term relationships.  Sex not only will keep your love energized, it’s also fun exercise, a great stress-releaser, and aerobic: it raises your heart rate and your respiration — and you don’t even notice you’re working hard.

Here’s how to make it...

Margaret Wheatley was co-founder and president of The Berkana Institute. Deborah Frieze succeeded her. Berkana Institute partners with people developing healthy and resilient communities worldwide.  They co-authored Walk Out Walk On: A Learning Journey into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now. The book and website of the same name is driving a movement of people all over the world who are...

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.”  ~Thomas Watson, Sr.

It is not quite as easy as it looks to have your life story out in the open for everyone to see. I realize this again as I see myself in a full page story in the business section of our local paper. Compared to the picture last year when I won the angel conference which was a one...

“If you are not happy here and now, you never will be.” ~Taisen Deshimaru

Happiness has less to do with our life circumstances than I ever imagined.  According to researcher and author Sonja Lyubormirsky, our quotient for happiness is based 50% of our genetics, which is to say the complex brain and neural circuitry that we inherit from our parents and that create emotional set points for us all.

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