Rebuilding Your Life? Yeah, I Know…

This is a link to one of Rian’s posts.  It’s an important post.  Read it.  If you understand it fully, then you have been in similar circumstances.  If you don’t, then try to put yourself there and understand now, before…

Rian, you are wonderful!

Rebuilding a Life

Namaste,

Scott

Better Marriage – by Divorcees

Do these guys look like divorce material?

Being divorced has, often, given me some insight into seeing the problems others may face in marriage or remarrying.  This article tells several things that divorced couples say they would do different.  Here is a quoted section from the article  ” http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/5-secrets-to-a-happy-marriage–revealed-by-divorce.html  ” .

1. Money. Over the course of her research, one the biggest surprises for Orbuch was the role money played in marital strife. “Many divorced singles say that money was the number one source of conflict in the early years of marriage,” she tells Yahoo! Shine. She also found that, “6 out of 10 said they would not share living expenses in their next relationship.” She recommends that each partner evaluate their own approach to spending and saving money and discuss with their spouse early on. She says there is no one-size-fits-all-financial plan, but couples need to determine their own rules and adhere to them. 

Related: How much Wedding will $20,000 Buy?

 2. Affection. Another surprise was that men crave affection—but not necessarily sex—more than women. “It’s counterintuitive,” says Orbuch, “but men crave feeling special and being noticed by their wives.” She adds that men who report not getting enough nonsexual affection were twice as likely to ask for a divorce, but the reverse was not true for women. “Women are fortunate. We get this kind of affirmation from more people in our lives, our mothers, children, our best friends”—so women tend to need less from husbands.  She recommends carving out time for regular cuddling, kissing, hand holding, and saying “I love you.”

3. Blame. “When divorced couples found fault with their relationship using ‘we’ statements, they were significantly more likely to find love than those who used ‘I’ or ‘you’ statements.” Those who found blame in factors such as being incompatible or too young experienced less anxiety, insomnia, and depression than those who blamed their former partner or themselves for a break-up. Examine what went wrong in the relationship instead of assigning individual blame, suggests Orbuch, and think about how you can resolve conflict better next time. 

4. Communication. Orbuch says a trap many couples fall into is “maintenance” rather than true communication. She suggests having a “10 minute rule” every day when you, “Talk to your partner about something other than work, the relationship, the house, or the children.” The key is revealing something about yourself and learning something about your spouse. “Forty-one percent of divorced people say they would change their communication style,” says Orbuch,“and, 91% of happily married couples say they know their partner intimately.”

5. Move on. Letting go of the past is a key to being in a happy relationship. This is true for people who are currently married as well as those seeking love. If you are irked by thoughts of your partner’s old boyfriend or girlfriend or of a fight that happened weeks ago, you might not be interacting in a healthy, positive way. “That animosity prevents you from being fully present,” says Orbuch. She also points out that people who felt neutral toward their ex were significantly more likely to find love after a divorce. If you can’t let go of your anger, her book outlines a number of exercises including writing a detailed letter to the person you are angry at—and burning it. 

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So, what do you think?  I agree with these 5 points very strongly and see that I didn’t follow them well during my marriages.

Namaste,

Scott

Five Sentence Fiction – Prompt: Edge – 4/11/2013

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction.

This week:  Edge

Don’t confuse this with Friday Fictioneers!  That is 100 words from a photo prompt.  Go here for that.  For FSF click on the above pic (after you read my story!).

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Edge

By Scott L Vannatter 4/11/2013

He held the razor blade in his right hand with the edge toward his throat’s carotids.

It had been a horrible year, beginning with his parent’s divorce and the subsequent out-of-state move all the way to his original girlfriend calling him to break up over the phone due to the distance between them, both from the move and his sad attitude over the entire separation mess.

He thought how easy it would be to take the thin stainless steel blade and slice his throat while no one was home and he would be gone before anyone even suspected he was serious about the entire business.

He pictured his parent’s faces when the coroner told them or when his mom walked in to find him dead; he pictured his girlfriend and the pain she would go through; he pictured his sister as she realized she would no longer have him as her supporter and confidante; he pictured her with the blade in her hand.

He took the blade and cut the wire in half to finish his electronics project for science.

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Namaste,

Scott