NORMAL TO FANTASIZE ABOUT OTHERS...

I have to admit once while I was getting head, I craned my neck - hey! it was way before TiVo - to the right to catch that night’s episode of Felicity. I mean, well, who didn’t want to know whether she chose Ben or Noel? Right?

Luckily, I wasn’t fantasizing about Ben - at least I don’t think so. Maybe. But writer Dan Savage shares his opinion on whether it’s normal to fantasize about others while your partner/lover is out of town or on top of you.


I agree, Dan. And I say it’s also okay to catch a glimpse of the tube too. Right?

THE POWER WITHIN

Author Marianne Williamson’s Miracle Thought Of The Day on Oprah.com invokes poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote - “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us” - to steer us to the “power within.”

Williamson goes on to say that too many are enraptured in the past and future - even though they don’t exist, except in one’s mind. In the present, she says, we are able to experience what lies within us, and no matter what has happened in your past. And every moment that we spend neurousing about the past or future, we withhold the power, attention, and focus on what is available to us in the moment. In the present, the power of new beginnings is available to each of us. We all have the power to tap into what is available to us now.

CUONG’S SPIRIT SERIES

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

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“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

In keeping with the theme of being in the “moment,” noted Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh offers many insightful words on the topic of mindfulness. His Peaces Is Every Step and The Miracle of Mindfulness serves as guides on purposeful living in every moment of your life, in everything you do.

We know it is hard to be mindful, but it is simple to do. Try it. As he says: Smile, breathe and go slowly.

FRIENDS: REPLACED IN 7 YEARS

Apparently, when it comes to close friends, you replace them with new ones every seven years, according to research from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Really? I don’t believe you replace close friends, what I consider my family of friends - ever! But I do think that during the “discovery” stage of any friendship, you might find it not right for you or them. Hmm, can someone at Utrecht University do some research on that?

Whatever, I like being a “Special Guest Star” - like Heather Locklear - so I can come and go as I’d like, and not have to put effort into anything. Does that make me a bad friend? Yeah, probably.

‘UNFRIEND’ YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER

According to sex therapist Ian Kerner, you may want to ‘unfriend’ your significant other to bring the mystery and excitement back in your love life. And in doing so, you might gain a lover.

The darn status updates - that I abhor so, so much ’cause nobody gives a shit what’re you’re eating or who you’re blowing - creates a sense of disconnection. Says the article: a “Facebook marriage” replaces mystery with the mundane. Some comments from his patients:

• Let’s see, yesterday my wife: Felt bloated, realized she has nothing to wear, posted yet another adorable photo album of our boys..., was missing Michael Jackson and, oh yeah … DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH ME!
• He’s always been the jealous type, but now he’s like a stalker. Every new friend is an interrogation. It’s like I’m being monitored by the thought-police!
• Do I really need to know that my wife is about to do something totally nutty like go have a second cappuccino? What happened to the wild woman I fell in love with?

For the love of God, please dumbasses, stop updating your lame statuses! - nobody cares where you’re going, who you’re with, or what you’re wearing. Just shut up and stop it with the status updates already!