Where are you headed ... in your relationship?
by Jan Denise
As seen in Jan's relationships column "Choosing Love"
in the May 2012 issue of In Jersey magazine
If you don't want to take a vacation, you can stay home; but if you don't want to go anyplace in your relationship, you can't ... Views: 1496
You Direct the Spring Within
by Jan Denise
As seen in Jan's relationships column "Choosing Love"
in the March 2012 issue of In Jersey magazine
I was in paradise wandering from one little alcove to another, with angel trumpets cascading overhead and roses perfuming the morning air. The ... Views: 927
Enjoy More, Maintain Less
With the emphasis on home and garden this month, it's easy to feel as though you spend more time maintaining your home than enjoying it, right? And chances are you've also felt that way about your relationship. The words — muttered or screamed — go something like, ... Views: 1018
Bringing the Unknown into the Known
By Jan Denise
The goal of learning is to bring the unknown into the known. The mere act of embracing the unknown as the truth requires a degree of faith. When we limit ourselves to believing for the known—or what we have already proven to be true—we ... Views: 1382
You ARE Love
By Jan Denise
From the time we learn the word “no,” we begin to get the message that what we would do naturally is “bad.”
As young children, we can’t make a distinction between our behavior and ourselves, so we buy into a lie—the lie that in order to be good enough we have to ... Views: 1301
Breathe Life Into Your Wish List
If you want to order the cheapest thing on the menu or take a budget vacation, go ahead; but don’t resort to practical wishes. What do you really want for Christmas? Now, tell him, tell everybody. Don’t depend on anybody else to deliver it, though.
I ... Views: 1344
Entertain Each Other First
We have more entertainment at our fingertips than ever, but are we any less apt to be bored in our relationships?
Most of us carry our own personal entertainment screen around with us—our favorite people, music, reading material, and games. If somebody keeps ... Views: 1609
Your chance to bounce higher
No matter who you are, you feel less comfortable financially than you did a couple years ago. And particularly if that's the only comfort you knew, you're hurting. The good news is that you also feel less complacent!
If you haven't gotten more creative and ... Views: 1249
See & Celebrate What’s Real
by Jan Denise
You’re gritting your teeth and talking under your breath again, wondering if he deliberately provokes you … and if he waits until people are watching to do it.
It’s no coincidence that he’s more irritating when you’re the center of attention. ... Views: 1105
Don’t Squeeze Yourself Into a Relationship
It can be just as tempting to squeeze yourself into a man’s mold for you as it is to squeeze yourself into the latest fall fashions. Okay, maybe it’s more tempting! Hold your ground, though. Let relationships—and clothes—enhance who you are, ... Views: 1181
No, I’m Fine, Really
There’s No Reason to Reject Me
By Jan Denise
My mom says that when I was a baby, they could pick me up, and I was fine and happy. They could put me down, and I was still fine and happy. No crying. For decades, I thought ... Views: 1475
Start With a Clean Slate … and aim for perfect love
For the best summer—and relationship—ever, start with a clean slate. Wipe away the black marks and start fresh, aiming, once again, for perfect love. Only this time, do it with perfect love in clear view. Know what you’re going for, ... Views: 5202
Off to Mom’s … to see how enlightened we really are
In keeping with this month’s travel theme and Mother’s Day, why not plan a visit to Mom’s? If you have a whole litany of excuses, maybe I can help.
Let’s start by acknowledging that our deepest wounds are often created when we’re still ... Views: 1346
Shared Space, Shared Happiness
While you’re thinking of all the ways you can improve your home, don’t get preoccupied with trends and technology. Make sure it reflects the behavioral, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, and magical you. Then consider all the ways you and your ... Views: 1271
Flower Year Round, Unabashedly
by Jan Denise
March 2011
The sun shines longer in the spring, telling the trees it’s safe to reveal the countless buds beneath their scales. And when green blankets the earth, we’re inspired to show our own colors; but we don’t have to wait for spring. ... Views: 1131
Success Waits Behind the Veil of Failure
in relationships and in life
Just as Valentine’s Day points to everybody else getting roses and chocolates and diamonds, it can point to your own relationship blunders. Before you give yourself a failing grade, though, consider the bell curve. How ... Views: 1224
Resolve to Be Happy This Year
Life is about falling down and learning from it, getting up and starting again. And if that doesn't sound like fun to you, just watch a baby do it. Better yet, let the baby wrap his little fingers around yours and help him learn to walk. Look into his ... Views: 1146
Give Him a Clean Slate for Christmas
By Jan Denise
Trying to decide between a beach getaway and a stocking full of coal for your sweetheart? Why not give him a clean slate, instead? Wipe away the black marks and start fresh, aiming—once again—for perfect love. Only this time, do it with ... Views: 1359
Gratitude Brings to Light Abundance and Joy
By Jan Denise
On that first Thanksgiving Day in 1621, the colonists invited the Indians to join them in giving thanks for the harvest. Being thankful meant having enough to share. It still does.
A grateful man will share — and be glad he’s ... Views: 1840
Gratitude Grows More of What You Want
by Jan Denise
Your partner doesn’t always give you what you want. I bet there are even moments when he (or she) seems incapable of it, right? And if you dwell on those moments, you’ll feel like he’s never going to satisfy you.
There are other ... Views: 1312
Relationships Cycle Predictably
by Jan Denise
Whether you dread or cheer summer’s end, autumn arrives. So, too, each season of your relationship takes a turn, repeating a cycle as predictable as spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Why not transition through the seasons with your eyes ... Views: 1365
Commitment is an Ongoing Choice
He’s snuggling up to you as though nothing’s wrong, but you don’t even want to be there. How did you end up married to this guy anyway? Right now it seems like any one of three suitors would have been a better option … and you’re still counting.
The ... Views: 1290
Bare All to Enchant—in Any Season
Summer demands that we bare all those body parts we’ve conveniently layered in sweaters. And if you’re feeling squeamish about that, you’re trying to protect more than just your abs and your thighs from rejection.
When you accept the rest of you, you ... Views: 1219
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2006
ANOTHER "NEW" YEAR
It feels like I've blown too many to get another one. Still, here it is … a brand new year.
Somebody knows what he's doing because, after all these years, I'm getting better at life, ... Views: 1214
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2009
Naked, the Only Way to Be In Love
I launched this column 10 years ago as "Naked Relationships" to help you experience the ultimate in authentic, loving relationships -- something I had yet to get my arms ... Views: 1360
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
Meet Six Needs and Bond for Life
Relationships make for a happy, fulfilling life or a miserable existence. So, why didn't our parents sit us down early on and teach us to do relationships well? If you think about ... Views: 1366
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
Lose Weight, Change Your Life
Last week I asked: How would your life change if you were to lose weight and satisfy the hunger that food can't?
To help answer the question, I also posed it to Keith Ahrens, the man I ... Views: 1527
Mirror Reflects Hunger Within
Two out of three Americans are overweight, making obesity the second leading cause of preventable death. Instead of eating less, we spend $35 billion a year on weight loss products.
We're not stupid; we're in pain. We have an emptiness, a yearning, a hunger … ... Views: 1377
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Whether You Stay or Walk, Love Well
(SET ITAL) I hate to give up on our relationship, but to stay feels like giving up on my dreams. (END ITAL)
To walk away from what we hoped -- and promised -- would last forever is ... Views: 1262
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009
Sex Whys Versus Relationship Why
Despite all our science, many men still talk about what women want as though it's beyond their comprehension. In light of new research, perhaps some of it's because men confuse what ... Views: 1191
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2009
FWB: Friends With Benefits, or Blinders
I just explained to my husband that "friends with benefits" refers to friends who have sex. But in a recent study, college students needed no explanation; 60 percent of those ... Views: 2006
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
Lousy Segments Make for Good Life
Often we're so engrossed in snippets of our lives that we fail to see the big picture; but life, directed by the mother of all directors, has a way of bringing the pieces ... Views: 1170
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2009
Treat Problem, Not Symptoms
Q: I am in desperate need of some advice. I feel that my marriage is going downhill fast and I want to save it. Let me tell you the story.
A couple of years ago, I accidentally found ... Views: 1349
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009
'Safe' Strategy Is Your Downfall
We've all tried to put what we hoped a hot prospect would see as our "best foot" forward, while trying to hide our "worst foot." Predictably, we fall on our face.
If we want an ... Views: 1153
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS WEEKLY COLUMN
RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2009
What Are You Doing to Your Child?
When you hold a newborn baby, you sense something God-like … I dare say, even if you're an atheist. A baby is untainted, sacred, perfect!
It's important to hold that thought because ... Views: 1303
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2009
See What Lurks Beyond Your Own Drama
Is there somebody who always leaves you feeling better than he found you?
I used to live next door to such a person. Whenever I ran into Bob, whether it was for 20 seconds or 20 ... Views: 1188
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009
Slow Down the Clock
As I mentioned last week, we can't stop the aging process; but we (SET ITAL) can (END ITAL) slow it down … and appreciate the blessing of time.
A few wrinkles (OK, eventually, a lot of wrinkles) are ... Views: 1281
As we pause to celebrate our nation's freedom, it's apparent that we as individuals determine its value to us.
We can -- and must, if (SET ITAL) we (END ITAL) are to be free -- declare individual freedom; and we can do it on the same grounds:
(SET ITAL) We hold these truths to be ... Views: 1126
We can be quick to judge our parents. There are so many things they could have done better. That is, if they had been better trained.
We tend to compare our parents -- at least during some stage in our lives -- with an ideal that virtually no parent measures up to. If we must compare them, ... Views: 984
It's tough enough to assume responsibility for our actions and words. Should we, can we, also be responsible for our thoughts and intentions? Those are private, right? Yours alone?
Apparently not.
According to Marilyn Schlitz, president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, we're ... Views: 1065
INSIDE RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009
You Choose: Honored Guest or Guest Of?
Especially if the economy has you in crisis mode, you might be looking for a savior, somebody who has everything and wants to share. After all, you have a lot to contribute, albeit ... Views: 1134
Her's No Stranger
While his mom and dad saw the eye doctor, he colored pictures and helped Tweety Bird through a maze. And when he found a tic-tac-toe page, he asked me, "Do you want to play tic-tac-toe with me?"
"Her's not a stranger, her's a nice lady," he told his parents.
That was my ... Views: 953
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
Stop Looking to Find Somebody
If you're single and looking for a partner or just a date, you've probably felt impatient, maybe downright frustrated.
I hear from a lot of lonely people who want to know how to find ... Views: 1071
We can look on as an aunt and uncle berate each other year after year and know that, despite appearances, they love each other. There was the time when he thought he was going to lose her to cancer, or the time when she jumped to his defense when somebody else attacked him.
Nonetheless, we ... Views: 1008
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2008
Get What You Want for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is for the infatuated, the brokenhearted, the deeply in love, the old and worn, the young and anxious … and, of course, the coupled and the single. It's for ... Views: 905
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2007
How Attractive Are (SET ITAL) You (END ITAL)?
The media hosts an ongoing parade of beautiful people. They even offer commentary on the most beautiful eyes, lips and buttocks … helping us to embrace both a false ... Views: 941
The heart-wrenching pain of a breakup can be too severe to deny. But we don't have to get pushed out the door to feel the pain of rejection.
Eons ago our survival depended on being sensitive to rejection -- without the protection of the clan, we were dead meat. Now, what used to save our hides ... Views: 924
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2007
Trust Senses, Not Imagination
With personal online encounters, our five senses get fed by our imaginations!
We can't smell or touch or taste or hear the would-be object of our affections. We can't (SET ITAL) ... Views: 937
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2007
Have Your "Affairs" at Home
Illicit affairs are about sex. And it strikes me that at some point we might grow out of their shallow gratification. I can see the jaws dropping.
But come on, sex is, well, sex. It's ... Views: 934
INSIDE/NAKED RELATIONSHIPS
BY JAN DENISE
RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2007
Blinded -- Not By Love, But Lies
How is it that people "wake up" after 12 years of marriage (or 3 years of dating) and realize that if they ever had anything, it's gone?
People really do grow apart. But there's more ... Views: 1398