Tag: commitment

You're out with a couple of friends having a good time… and your future spouse walked into the room and your heart skipped a beat. Everything around you faded into the background and the only thing that existed was them.

You muster up the courage to introduce yourself and a fairy tale relationship is born. All that’s left is moonlit walks on the beach, rose petals sprinkled around the bedroom and making passionate love each morning as the gentle breeze blows through the windows and the birds sing pleasantly outside.

I wasn’t aware that adultery had gone anywhere, so I was a bit taken aback when I saw that AMC’s hit show, Mad Men, was boldly making this assertion heading into their fifth season. A bit of clever marketing, but maybe it reflects our fascination with something that has become almost commonplace in our societies. Which actually begs the question; did adultery ever really "leave the building?" Is it really "back" or just portrayed as a lot more sexy and adventuresome? For as long as there has been marriage between imperfect people, there has been adultery. For as long as people have somehow felt drawn to committing to one person, the prospect of delving into unfamiliar territory with someone new has seemed challenging, interesting and even downright exciting. So what exactly is up? Is marriage and commitment demanding something of us that we’re really incapable of giving? Are we really wired for monogamy?

Every year, we make them. Every year, we break some—maybe all of them. Workout more, eat better, spend less money, those are the most common ones. And while self-care and self-improvement are certainly worthwhile goals, there’s one area that many people overlook when it comes to New Year’s resolutions: their marriage.

Resolving to improve certain areas of a marriage is just as important as resolving to be physically healthier or eat better.

In Latin, the name Materra is a rough translation for Mother Earth. It’s quite a fitting name for wines from the 50-acre vineyard purchased by Brian and his brother, John Cunat, along with their family in 2007. Their commitment to agriculture and farming reaches back years earlier to the Midwest, where Brian worked on a farm as a boy. Their passion for wine was inspired by Brian’s wife Miki’s father, Yasuo Obata, founder and chef of the renowned Restaurant Edelheim in Shiogama, Japan. His expertise at pairing the cuisine and wines of France and Germany earned the restaurant international acclaim.

Life is hectic and everyone is busy. While that's an ongoing reality for many, it's also true that time with good friends can be therapeutic.  Planning a girls night out is a great way to schedule some dedicated ladies-only time to relax and nurture yourself and your friendships.

These 10 etiquette tips will keep the focus on recharging your batteries and reconnecting with your friends on your next girls night out.

Why do I… Feel that I’m more committed to this relationship than she is? Any thoughts on dealing with emotional distancing? She has some abuse issues from her past that has made her emotionally distant. Can you give me any strategies for this? We both want this marriage to work, but I know it takes two to be on the same page. I am afraid that I am more gung-ho and committed to this than she.

I fondly recall my days as a child, eagerly awaiting the weekly TV appearance of Lee Majors as, "The Six Million Dollar Man." If your memory goes back to these halcyon days, you’ll recall that the bionic man was "better, faster, stronger."

Whether it’s problems within our own marriage or problems that we face in our culture, sadly, we consistently don’t face them at all. Instead, we close our eyes, turn our deaf ear, blame others, play the victim and look to be rescued and often choose sides on issues that directly affect us all—which does nothing to solve the problem. Furthermore, even when we choose to address an issue, we often take the shortcut and expect the best.

What we need to focus on here are the words "integrity" and "commitment." And if we look around, we will see a lack of both in many of the things around us.