The World Has Grown Suspicious of Anything That Looks Like A Happily Married Life

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

Why do we get married? And why do we have children?

Is it because we grow up believing that that's just what we're supposed to do?

Marriage has changed so much over the centuries. Women have the choice to keep their maiden names. Some couples don't have a wedding, but consider themselves common-law and still have the same rights as married couples. Couples live together and have children without being married. These things would not have been accepted long ago.


On television and movies, marriage is shown as bittersweet. Maybe even more bitter than sweet. In the movies the main characters tell us: "Everything changes after marriage. Don't get married. Don't have kids".

If we want to have children because we have love to give... why not adoption? There is a sad amount of children without love and shelter. But selfishly, it's exciting to have little clones of ourselves running around the world, right?

I'm all for marriage and children and look forward to it one day, but these are some questions that have come up in my debate class, and conversations with my engaged/married friends. I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments box below.

For now, here's a sign that was in an engagement ring store men's bathroom.

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.

As Long As I'm Living...

"Don't hassle me with your sighs, Chuck"
and
"Duck! Here comes another day!"
and
"Kiss her, you blockhead."
...Charles Schulz taught people how to live
-Joey Comeau

I LOVE CHARLIE BROWN!
Every holiday I look forward to him and his morose personality to warm up my spirits. I've always thought the creator, Charles Shulz was wonderful.

Today would have been his 88th birthday.

I read an article about him comparing himself to his character. Not only did they have the same name, but many other similarities as well.

Charles Shulz also had a little red-haired girl in his life, who he dated for three years. When he asked her to marry him, she refused and ended up marrying another man a few months later.

waaaa waaaaaaaa

Lucy, the nagging female character Charlie Brown is bossed around by, was inspired by both his mother and his first wife.

And the sweetest, and also saddest thing of all:
Charlie Brown and Charles Shulz died within two hours of each other. Charles Shulz was sick and retired in 1999, and decided to request that no more of the comics were published after his death. He produced enough Sunday strips to last a few more months, and on February 12, 2000, he passed away-- two hours before the final Peanuts strip was printed.

I also learned about another writer that I love, Robert Munsch. Did you know, he almost flunked elementary school? He also studied for 7 years to become a priest... and then he changed his mind.

Do you know the book, Love You Forever?
I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.
It's one of the all-time best selling books, and it definitely has a special place in my heart and in my family. What I learned to day which touched me deeply was that he wrote it after he and his wife had delivered two stillborn babies within a few years of each other. Eventually they adopted children, but after this tragedy, he was inspired to write this book.

I was also surprised to learn that he admitted earlier this year to being a recovering cocaine addict and an alcoholic, as well as obsessive-compulsive and manic-depressive.

Tightrope

Do you ever have those days where you could care less if you ever had to communicate with anyone in the world for the rest of your life? Maybe you even think that you will start to avoid other people at all costs. They don't understand you and they don't appreciate you or what you stand for or how you feel. Sometimes I feel like it is a pattern. Something will go wrong and I will have flashbacks of being left out/bullied/teased on the school yard in Elementary school

When I feel this way, it doesn't last long. It either takes a good long nap, a conversation with mom, or a trip to the Disney store. And I don't mean retail therapy. There is a 60-year old man who has been working at the disney store for 16 years and absolutely loves what he does. It's like a playdate every time I see him. He doesn't remember our last meeting, but he takes me all over the store like an excited child at christmas, showing me the new toys. He knows all of the character names, all of the movies and all of the trivia behind them-- which is something we have in common, as I am a self-proclaimed Disney expert. He inspires me because he absolutely loves his job and sharing his joy with others. Which in turn, reminds me that I do not actually want to shut myself out from people for the rest of my life, and I hope to find something in my life that I want to share with the rest of the world just like this man.

As much as other people have the power to crush you down, they also have the power to inspire you. And ultimately, how you feel is up to you.

Every time you step outside you're dealing with life and you're trying to stay sane, for a lack of better words. Balance, to me, is the key; not getting too high, not getting too low - It's like life's tutorial on how to actually make it through life without becoming insane and driving yourself to a life full of hatred and just not wanting to be here.


Song of the day, that sends this same message: Don't get too high off praises, and don't get too low from opinions. The music video makes me wish I could dance. Which I possibly could do, if I applied myself. However, if it’s not just me alone and in front of the mirror… I’m very incapable.

What's Love Got To Do With It

Have you ever wanted something very badly and then gotten it? Then you know that winning is many things, but it is never the thing you thought it would be. Poor people who win the lottery do not become rich people. They become poor people who won the lottery.

Couples meet, they fall in love, they make a commitment, move in together and (maybe) get married...
Then what? Over half break up! Obviously, LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH to sustain a relationship.

5:1 Ratio:
Research shows that couples are significantly more likely to stay together if they have a ratio of five positive interactions for every one negative interaction. Apparently this ratio is 80% accurate in predicting divorce, so make sure every time you annoy your significant other, you give him/her five hugs and kisses in return. For every negative remark or comment, there are five positive ones. This develops a "reservoir of positive feelings" meaning that we "bank" these positive feelings and they counteract negativity that is inevitably in all relationships.

No One Belongs Here More Than You

They wordlessly excused each other for not loving each other as much as they had planned to. There were empty rooms in the house where they had meant to put their love, and they worked together to fill these rooms with midcentury modern furniture.

I have started writing my book.
I am finding it interesting, the process of putting an idea I dreamed up on to paper. Lots of paper.
There are people in my life that are influencing the ideas of my book and the characters in them. Some of them are people I haven't talked to for years, or some of them are people I talk to every day. Some are best friends and some are practically strangers. I don't think these people will ever know.

Question to ponder:
How do you measure and organize your time? Do you organize your time and schedule things or just hope everything on your to-do list will fall into place?

I've been measuring my time in songs:

It takes me 1 song to blowdry my hair. 2-3 songs for my makeup. 5-6 songs to walk to school. Although, it all depends on the songs :) The new Kings of Leon album has been on repeat on my ipod lately.

Sometimes people will ask me how I make time for everything that I do, and I'm not sure how to answer that question. I don't have a magic answer. It's not effortless but it's not difficult. I have the same amount of hours in the day as everyone else. I make to-do lists, I prioritize, and just do.


Every morning I write my to-do list in an application on my phone (Lister) and put down general times that they will get done. I've found that if I hope for everything to fall into place, people want your time and the to-do list remains untouched. Make your tasks as non-negotiable as any other important thing in your life. And "EAT THAT FROG" -Brian Tracy

Heartburn.

I love rainy days...
But only when they are days that I don't have to go outside, and I can listen to the rain on my window from my warm bed.

Today I wish that I was in high school and could call in sick. As you get older its harder to not care about what you're missing out on.

My head has been hurting and it feels like the burning sensation one gets from heartburn- but in my head don't know any other way to describe it. Tylenol doesn't do it for me. I need a brain massage.

Does anyone know what this could be? Do you think its the rain? I've always wanted the ability for my body to predict weather.

Rumbly in my Tumbly.

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."”


My dream has always been to make magic in any way possible. Creatively, scientifically, or interpersonally... Then I saw this and thought:

That's it. I'm moving to Orlando Florida.

I have never felt so full of nostalgia in my life.

Reality

You know how when you ask certain people their age, they answer "twenty" but you hear "twenty-"? How you dangle after the imagined dash, waiting for that extra digit they never add?



I haven't got a solution. I mean, sure the twenty year-olds will all become twenty-one, but the nineteen year-olds will replace them.


Sigh.

Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Leave the house before you find something worth staying in for

Once upon a time there was a bear and a bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long the bee collected nectar from morning to night while the bear lay on his back basking in the long grass.

When winter came the bear realized he had nothing to eat and thought to himself "I hope that busy little bee will share some of his honey with me". But the bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease

"People think I'm a rabbit. Because they think I run around and I'm unorganized.
But wait until the end of life, and you see if I am a turtle"

Daylight Savings: The Extra Hour I Have Will Be Spent Learning How To Change My Clocks

I always think that if I had a superpower, it would be the power to stop time. I could stop time and do anything I wanted while the rest of the world was frozen.

Just think of all the things you could do! You would always be able to get 10 hours of sleep. You could stop time in the middle of tests or conversations so you can find the right answers. You'd always be on time for trains, flights, meetings, and you'd never have to worry about getting stuck in traffic.

And that's just the beginning!

But the one problem with this is that you would continue to age while the rest of the world is frozen. You're adding extra time, maybe even extra years to your life by all the time spend in pause. But perhaps with this extra time we would take better care of ourselves, with extra rest, exercise, and better eating? We can only hope.

You're Not Going To Find Cherries When Digging For Potatoes.

If you expect relationships to always be 50/50... Expect to be disappointed. This is not to say that its okay if your needs are continuously not being met. In the end, it should even out. But by being there for your loved ones sometimes it requires you to put in 90, and maybe you don't always get 10 back. But you know that if there's ever times that you need 90 but you can't put in the 10- they'll be there for you. Life happens.

A friend of mine once told me that you shouldn't expect someone to complete you. I'm on the fence about this one because, I agree that you need to be whole without your partner, but you're always feeling at your best when you're with them. He says that you should be 100% with or without them, and together you make up 200%. You complement and make each other better. I agree.

Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I hadn't moved across the country and away from home when I was 18.

I could be still living under the cocoon of my parents- but I mean this in a good way. I miss parents, and my house. I'd probably have a new car... Because my little sunfire was starting to crap out on me. And I'd probably be in the wrong relationship with the wrong guy. I have learned so much from past relationships, from other's mistakes, from books, and from mentors. Its refreshing to know that: "What I know today is nothing compared to what I will know tomorrow."

I Am Not High Maintenance

I used to wonder if my amount of daydreaming affects my sleep at night. Most people can't remember their dreams at night when they are asleep, but they can always remember their dreams during the day when they are awake. If you have recurring dreams when you are asleep at night it is said that your subconscious is trying to tell you something, or perhaps something may be wrong. If you have recurring dreams when you are awake during the day, it is a wonderful thing because you're setting out goals and daydreaming emits positive energies for your life.

I will never stop day dreaming. The amount of time I spend day dreaming never increases or decreases, just the topics and the ideas my head conjures up changes.

I'm good at keeping people awake. Not always in a way they enjoy. I get so chatty right before bedtime. This was a habit as a child as well. I'd instigate long intelligent debates and conversations. I've had the light turned off and the door closed on me more than once. What does this mean? I love to sleep, but getting there is a battle.

Every Marriage That Doesn't End In Divorce Ends In Death

Great news everyone...

The Canadian divorce rate is DOWN!

I bet you weren't expecting that to be my good news. You were probably expecting me to say "I changed my mind, I'm NOT quitting blogging!" after the overwhelming response from yesterday's blog.

...just kidding, there was no overwhelming response, just the two people that actually read this blog: Mom. And Dad.

JUST KIDDING my Mom and Dad don't read my blog. Well, they do, just not every day like some of my faithful readers... who yelled at me last night for the thought of cutting back on blogging.
But what about my New York Times Best Seller?!

Anyway, the Canadian divorce rate is down which means that us Canadians are doing something right. Perhaps from now on, when people get married they should move to Canada if they want a better chance at love. And then when they retire they can move back to the states. Florida, to be specific.

Now the statistic says that a third of all marriages in Canada end in divorce.

Then again, could this statistic also lead to the fact that a lot more people aren't actually doing the wedding dance? A lot of couples are satisfied with being common-law-- which makes sense with how freakin expensive weddings are.

NY Times Best Seller!

I used to have a hammock chair in my bedroom when I was growing up. It hung from the ceiling, and I loved sitting in it. It was one of my most prized possessions and something I considered very special about my room. As it was only attached to the ceiling, sometimes it would fall, hitting me on the head on the way down. First the wooden frame, and then the metal hook.

Sometimes ideas hit me like this. Suddenly and unexpectedly. Sometimes one after another. The wooden frame, and then the metal hook. Yesterday, I thought of an idea for a book. I sat in my living room-- watching Teen Mom on mute, needing absolute silence to welcome this thought into my head. I have an idea for a book that I'd like to publish one day. And if it happens, its going to be a New York Times Best Seller, I promise you! Because of this, I am considering cutting back on my blogging... which I hate to say, especially since it has become a part of my daily life.