Relationship skills

RelateI have found that relationship tools work, they are helpful and improve my relationships.  Like a good shovel it just works, you might get tired of digging ditches and want to quit, but the shovel still works regardless.  I say this because in one of my relationships I had the tools to understand our dynamic and I was unwilling to put up with the dysfunction.  Maybe if I did whatever she asked our relationship would have improved.  For me first and foremost I need to be treated with kindness and respect, if this doesn't happen I will leave the relationship.  So the tools work, even if the relationship does not.  This is not a save the relationship at all costs course.  Or said another way I must first be kind and loving to myself, I must have something before I can give it to another.

Here is a podcast I recorded in the second year of my second marriage:  Divorce – How I Survived, Thrived, and Remarried.

No married couples gave me a manual or tools before I got married, they essentially let us get onboard a ship and head out into the pacific with no sailing instructions and no life preservers nor life boats.  I ship-wrecked twice and it was really painful and difficult, so below I share what I learned and hopefully help you relate and take care of the ship you and your partner get into.

In person Relationship Guidance is also available.

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Food

FoodWhen I started experimenting with my diet and changing what I eat it seemed scary and risky.  I was afraid I might make myself sick or cause some horrific damage to my body.  Looking back I was bombarded with endless messaging about food without being aware, and I ate horribly in high school and survived so the fear seems irrational now.  In this page I talk about the food I ate throughout my life and the outcome.  Also my understanding of food and why I eat what I eat.  In addition my experience with food labeling, and the meat and ranching industry.

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Breathwork

BreatheObviously we all breath, usually happens without us thinking about it or even noticing.  What happens if we focus on our breath, if we breath with intention and practice breathing in a way that can alter how we think and feel?  When I do this I feel better, calmer, clear mind, my body feels lighter and more at ease.

Here is a previous page on Breathing.

In this page I talk more about breathing with tips and issues that came up for me.

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Skin and Hair

Hair SkinEvery winter my skin would feel dry and itchy, also I noticed my t shirts had yellowish stains around the arm pits.  In my travels to Europe on the public trains I smelled an obvious difference in body odor.  I daily used shampoo, soap, deodorant, cologne, because I was afraid I would smell bad and be unattractive to women.  I was also afraid I would be considered dirty and shunned if I didn't use these harsh cleansers.  I had heard plenty of talk growing up about how those people are gross.  The dry winter skin become so uncomfortable I was willing to consider alternatives.  This page is about my experience with putting products on my hair and skin and what I do now.

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How to Meditate

How to MeditateI think of meditation as a ladder or vehicle that takes me to a wonderful blissful enjoyable place.  On this page I talk about what meditation is, how I meditate, and why and when.  Meditation is also a foundation tool or place to build from.  Communication and relationships are easier.

Here is a previous post I wrote about Meditation. There are 6 videos in this tutorial.

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Barefoot

BarefootI went from wearing raised heel thick boots to walking and running barefoot.  On this page I explain what I did and why.  I had been wearing padded high top sneakers and boots for decades, when I tried to walk in minimalist shoes I was in pain and couldn't get very far.  I felt helpless and dependent on the shoe industry.

Here is a podcast episode about my journey from boots to barefoot.

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