This article is about long term relationships and what it takes to keep them healthy. “Happily married couples average five positive verbal and emotional expressions toward one another for every negative expression”! This can also be applied to any relationship not just our primary romantic ones. Noticing the positive attributes in others, increasing the ratio of positive to negative interactions can do nothing but improve our daily lives and the lives of those around us. I am going to spend this week each day focusing on someone and how I can make their life better for just five minutes. How hard can that be? Studies show that one of the best ways to relieve stress is to give to another to focus outside yourself. Sharing, smiling, laughing, letting go of the busy serious facade for five minutes how hard can that be? Well, probably pretty hard but I am going to do it as a meditation for five minutes every day this week and see what happens. Try it and let us know how it goes. Smile and the world smiles with you as my mom says. In a favorite meditation I listen to by Thich Nhat Hanh he says, “on the in breath I relax, and on the out breath I smile”.
Happy Tuesday.
— Connie