Thursday, July 31, 2008

"He's Still a Guy"

This morning I got up and the song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith was stuck in my head. The reason for this was that last night I watched a video about this lion who was raised by a couple of guys, and then let back into the wild. The guys went to see the lion after a year, and were told he wouldn't recognize them. The lion was so happy to see them that he was literally hugging and licking them and so excited to be reunited with his people. The song that was playing in the video was "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." It was all very beautiful and heartwarming.


As I was drinking my coffee, (which my husband had poured and ready for me as I stumbled out of the bedroom), my husband said that he had the song "I'm Still a Guy" by Brad Paisley stuck in his head. This song has a verse that reads:


I don't have highlights in my hair,

I've still got a pair,

I'm still a guy!


These two songs stuck in our heads as we start out day are a great symbol of the differences between men and women! I'm thinking of this beautiful song about not wanting to fall asleep because I might miss some of this great love, and he's thinking about a song that reinforces his manhood!


What I love about this is that I wouldn't have it any other way. He can be the hunter gatherer that he is, he can prefer action movies to chick flicks, and he can be all the things that make him a man. When it comes to men it usually isn't about romance and frills. It is about providing and laughter and physical needs.


My husband expresses his love by pouring that coffee for me in the morning, by fixing a great steak on the barbecue, and by kissing my chap stick off every night. So when you are wishing your partner was more romantic or giving, pay close attention to what they do. What they do is much more important than what they say any day!


Marquita




Sunday, July 20, 2008

Horse Play


I'm in love! Don't tell my husband, but yesterday, I began the most amazing relationship with a horse. What's more, I don't even know her name. I just know that she and I joined up in an amazing way during a leadership training with Koelle Simpson the owner of the Gift of Equus.
"What does this have to do with relationships?" you ask. Everything. What Koelle teaches is that nonverbal communication is a much bigger part of relationships than verbal communication. In our relationships we might say the right things and do the right things, and yet to an outside observer there is obviously something wrong. For example have you ever had a conversation with a friend and they were telling you how fantastic their new boyfriend is, yet there eyes were downcast, their shoulders were slumped, and they spoke without conviction. Did you believe what they were saying?
With horses, it is all about body language. They have specific ways of knowing by how we behave, whether or not they will trust us to lead them. They are herd animals and are very happy to be lead, but they must feel safe and want to be led by you. This is what the Gift of Equus teaches, and it is magic. If you want to feel some of this magic check out Koelle at www.giftofequus.com.
So my thought this week is take a look closer at the relationships around you. Are you feeling confident when you are with those you love? Do you feel safe being who you are when you are around them? Do you make a safe place for them to be who they are around you? If you have never spent much time watching people, try going to a public place and just watch people go by. See if you can pick up on their energy by watching what their bodies are telling you. Do the same thing with friends and family. Don't just listen to what they say with their voice, notice what they say with their bodies.
I know that for me, I am going to look a little closer at my nonverbal communication, and what message I am giving others. I am good at reading others, and I want to make sure I am good at reading myself as well. The other thing is, I can't wait to do this again, and fall in love with the next horse who joins with me. It felt too good not to do it again!
Happy Trails,
Marquita

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I am Me, You are You, and We are All Together

It was just Independence Day here in America, and it got me thinking about love and independence rather than co-dependence. When I was learning about love and how to be a whole person, I had this idea that two people would meet, come together and form a whole. That belief led me to accept a lot of unacceptable things and to stay in relationships I should have never entered into in the first place.


What I learned in my journey to wholeness, is that I need to be able to depend on myself. I need to know that whatever happens in my life and my relationships that I will be okay. Really loving yourself is about being good with or without someone. Really loving someone else is wanting them to feel the same way, and allowing them to be who they are in life.


My husband and I are going on trips this year without each other. He is going fishing in Alaska, and I am going to Costa Rica with my granddaughter. We were talking about this over coffee this morning and I mentioned that I would be in Central America during hurricane season. He began joking about getting more life insurance for me, and we had a good laugh about it. The truth is I know he would be heart broken if something happened to me, but then he would heal and be all right because we don't have a co-dependent relationship. I wouldn't want it any other way.


I like the way love and indepencence is writtten about in this poem by Kahlil Gibran:

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.


Happy Loving,


Marquita