The Man Who Becomes Easy to Overlook I have learned that the easiest man to take for granted can sometimes become the hardest man to replace. It happens because consistency has a way of making something valuable begin to look ordinary. A good man calls when he says he will call, shows up when he
When a Good Man Makes Love Look Ordinary Read More »
What Boys Learn Before They Understand the Lesson When I look back at the way many boys were raised, I realize emotional training started long before we knew we were being trained. A little boy falls down, starts crying, and somebody tells him to get up because boys are supposed to be tough. He reaches
Becoming a Whole Man: Learning the Emotional Language I Was Never Taught Read More »
The Part of My Story You Never Heard Sometimes people decide I became the villain because they only saw the part where I walked away. They saw the distance, the silence, the boundaries, and the version of me that stopped showing up the way I used to. What they did not hear were the conversations
If I Became the Villain in Your Story, So Be It Read More »
The Question Behind Venting I heard somebody say that venting is evil, and I understood the concern even though I would not go that far. There are times when people unload everything they are carrying onto somebody else without first asking whether that person has the emotional room to receive it. We have probably all
Venting Is Not Evil, but We Should Be Careful Where We Put Our Pain Read More »
Beauty Does Affect How People Are Treated I have lived long enough to know that appearance can influence how people respond to one another. Attractive people often receive more attention, more compliments, more patience, and sometimes more opportunities simply because other people like what they see. Psychologists have studied versions of this for years, including
Pretty Privilege Is Real, but Beauty Does Not Explain Everything Read More »
What Would Make Her Smile Today? I heard somebody ask a simple question that made me think about how easily relationships can become complicated: what is one thing a man can do today to make his partner happier? We spend so much time talking about communication, attraction, commitment, intimacy, and the serious parts of relationships
Love Is Often Hidden in the Little Things Read More »
When the Internet Becomes the Dating Coach I have noticed that dating advice has become almost impossible to escape because everybody with a telephone can now become an expert. Men tell other men exactly how women supposedly think, and women tell other women exactly how men supposedly behave. Some of the advice comes from genuine
Dating Advice Has to Survive Real Life Read More »
When Kindness Reaches Its Limit I have often wondered what happens when the kindest person in the room finally reaches the point where enough is enough. We sometimes assume patient people possess an unlimited supply of patience because they have tolerated so much already. They listen, forgive, make allowances, smooth over disagreements, and give people
When the Kindest Person in the Room Has Finally Had Enough Read More »
A Sentence Worth Hearing Twice I once heard someone say, “Think about how hard it is to change yourself, and you will understand how hard it is to change someone else.” That statement caught my attention because I knew exactly what they meant. I wish I had said it myself because there is a whole
If Changing Myself Is This Hard, Why Do I Think I Can Change You? Read More »
Becoming Our Best Self I have heard people say that becoming the best version of yourself will help you attract the kind of person you want, and there is some truth in that. Taking care of yourself can make you more confident, healthier, interesting, financially stable, and comfortable in your own skin. People notice those
What Gets Somebody’s Attention May Not Be What Makes Them Stay Read More »