Given that Thursday marked Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., it made the perfect occasion to take a moment and acknowledge the efforts of the special people in our lives who show they genuinely care for us -- whether it be our parents, partner, close friends, and/or co-workers. (Yet, this should be done over the course of the entire year, not just one day of the year.) As we well know, one thing is to profess you care, and another is to show it. Showing it means going out of your way -- inconveniencing yourself, if you will -- for other people. It means putting someone atop your priority list every so often, even though you have a slew of things you still need to tend to. It means being there when someone needs you, even if it's just via text or by phone. It means that you don't just surface on the person's birthday.  Real relationships are about putting into them what you get out of them .  Those who care aren't only thinking about what they can extract f...

It sure is. We all miss the butterflies in our stomach -- the sheer excitement of having someone new in our life. Maybe your partner did little things that filled you with immense joy, like deliver flowers to your job or leave love notes in your wallet. Once the relationship begins to mature, these things tend to happen less often. As you transition from happy couple to married couple to parents, it becomes less about passionate love and more about companionship. Going from seeing each other once or twice a week to living with one another changes the dynamics of a relationship tremendously. Whereas before you waited for your weekly date with bated breath, now you've fallen into a routine of seeing your partner every day. Sometimes I miss the early days in my relationship, when I looked forward to seeing my now-wife with great anticipation. Everything felt new and exciting. We were getting to know each other. Our future together seemed promising. Now that we've been ...

I think we'd all agree that we're not -- and will never be -- completely satisfied with our lives. There's always going to be something we want to own or accomplish. Some of us yearn for love and companionship. Others want a better job that will enable them to save up for a nicer car or house. Still other people want to lose weight, start their own business, have another child, or achieve other milestones. With the New Year fast approaching, such goals loom large on many people's minds. And that's not a bad thing. It demonstrates that a person aims to continually better themselves. On the other hand, when you become complacent, you tend to stop challenging yourself to find ways to enhance your life. Your idea of enriching your life may include moving to a cabin by a lake, while someone else might simply strive to make as much money as they can. Either way, the point is that one is actively trying to live life to the max, pursuing opportunities they see...

If you were to come up with one word to describe your ideal life, what would it be? If several come to mind, try to winnow them down to the one word that best captures what you would consider the perfect life. Words like "rich" and "wealthy" didn't even cross my mind, for I am the farthest thing from materialistic. I think the best things in life tend to be free -- love, knowledge, laughter, companionship. For me, no word encapsulates the ideal life quite like simple . A self-proclaimed minimalist, I try to reduce as much clutter in my life -- both mental and physical -- as I possibly can. I respect those who find great fulfillment in owning the biggest houses, roomiest cars, and shiniest baubles. But that's just not me. I am much easier to please, finding satisfaction in the simplest things -- like reading a great book, taking a relaxing walk around the park, or watching an interesting documentary on TV. You're probably wondering whether ...

...and assume the following: you find him really, really attractive you're single and craving some companionship you desperately need the job you figure that a little rough-and-tumble in bed can only open up promotion opportunities Your first reaction is probably, "That's preposterous. No woman with a healthy level of self-respect would ever do that." But let's be real. In the heat of the moment, anything can happen. Loneliness can leave us feeling vulnerable. And when a person you find very attractive comes on you, it isn't always to resist his or her advances.  However, sleeping with your boss can open a can of worms when: one of you presses the other for something more serious the sex results in an unwanted pregnancy you decide you want to leave the company, much to your boss's chagrin, or vice-versa the boss treats you differently if you're not putting out If I found myself in this situation, I would do my best to muster e...

This answer will differ depending on who you ask. People have varying sex drives that are affected by everything from one's energy and stress levels to other responsibilities in our lives, including work, chores, and children. We've all heard stories where one person in the relationship wants sex much more frequently than the other, causing an imbalance that eventually incites feelings of resentment in the former. How often a couple has sex depends largely on where it is put on their priority list. I think those who make a concerted effort to have sex, say, once or twice a week, can carve out a few minutes weekly to do so. But sometimes life gets in the way of even the most carefully laid-out plans, and couples have no choice but to leave it for another day. I think sex isn't the most important facet of a marriage or relationship. After all, as we get older, our relationship or marriage becomes less about passionate sex and more about companionship. Still, sex mat...