muchlove

the love reset button

Posted on by

 ”Too much of anything isn’t good for you”, says my father (and Barry White).

muchlove

Of course, usually he is referring to the way I eat all of Mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies [which I will defend to the death are the best EVER], or anything else that I may have been obsessed with over the years.  But for our purposes, I’m applying it to the amount of time we spend glued to our significant others.  I think Dad would approve.

(Quick side note: Mom, if you’re reading this…if there just so happens to be homemade chocolate chip cookies the next time I come visit, I wouldn’t complain. But I have to warn you, if you make them for me, you have to make them for all of us. I mean ALL of us. You may want to start now.)

Dude, you know she’s totally frantically making cookies right now. That’s just the way she is. You would all receive cookies in the mail if she had addresses.  She’s a good egg.

So, okay, right.  Too much of your significant other can be a bad thing.  Yes.  I know it’s hard to believe!  You meet someone special, and you’re all hot and heavy for the first six months or so but at what point do you just need some time to yourself?  Spending every second of every day with the same person can make things monotonous, and uneventful- it’s just not healthy.  Sometimes you have to take small breaks, whether you spend some personal time reading a book, or go out to catch the game with a few of your buddies.  It’s these small separations that provide you with what I like to call “staying power”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m the one who said experiencing new adventures with your love can strengthen your bond, but it’s equally as important to give yourselves a little down time to allow your love to reset.  These small respites can rejuvenate yourself, and restore balance between your relationship and personal lives. It will aid you in becoming better communicators, improving the quality of your conversations and opening the door to new subjects and interests that you later can explore together.

Just as I always recommend setting a “date night” for busy couples, I also suggest a “friend night” once per week where the both of you can get out of the house and reconnect with old friends, family, or just take some quiet time alone.

On my agenda today?  A bubble bath, a little red wine, probably some mac and cheese- but that’s just how I roll.  I know, classy, right?

frustration

customer service love

Posted on by

I’ve been dealing with my cable company for three days now.

frustration

This is how I imagine I look, especially since I still consider myself a kid.

In my intense frustration at the lack of customer service offered by my provider, I started to think about the various management positions I’ve held in my life and the procedures we had in place to ensure we were accommodating all customer and client discrepancies.  My cable company apparently did not have this same training.

Digging deeper, I began to think about the ways I try to resolve issues in my relationships, and realized I use a method learned from a fast food chain when I was sixteen years old.  It has stuck with me ever since, and I use it daily.  This particular chain loved their acronyms.  It must have worked with me- it was simple, direct, and effective.

The acronym they used was L. A. S. T., which stood for Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank.  When a customer came up and complained about their order, we could easily defuse the situation by listening to the customer’s complaint, apologizing for any inconvenience this has caused them, solving the problem to the best of your abilities, and thanking them for their patronage.

Listen, love can be rough sometimes, and you’re not always going to see eye to eye with your partner, but by staying diligent in your efforts to resolve issues, you can proactively prevent things from reaching the boiling point.  If your significant other raises an issue, give her your full attention and actively listen to her concerns.  Sympathize with her situation and be apologetic if you feel it’s something that could have been avoided.  Work together to solve the problem, offering up possible solutions and brainstorming together to reach the best possible outcome- and don’t forget to thank her for being comfortable enough with you to bring it up in the first place!  It’s easy to keep your mouth shut and harbor resentment, but it takes courage and respect to face your relationship pitfalls with the complete trust and support of your partner.

spooning

big spoon to little spoon- come in little spoon

Posted on by

Say what you will, but I love being the big spoon. There’s just something to be said about being so close and finding that you fit together like perfect pieces of a puzzle. Sometimes I crave it. After a long, stressful day when nothing has gone quite right, there’s nothing I want more than to lazily curl up on the couch or in bed with you, pour us a few glasses of wine, and flip through the latest episodes of Boardwalk Empire.