Catch and Release

I really enjoy a good love ballad. Any good, sappy love song actually. Believe it or not James Brown has a beautiful ballad titled, "Try Me" that just gets me every time. Perhaps you've heard it. But there's one group of love songs that trouble me every time I hear them. They usually have lyrics along these lines;

"Please release me... / let me go.. / 'cause you don't love me.. anymore";
"..unchain my heart", you get the idea.

Now if these were just songs we enjoyed and it went no further, then fine. But unfortunately they either reflect or reinforce the idea that in order to break up with someone we need their cooperation, or even permission in some way. What troubles me about this is hearing women say how unhappy they are in a relationship yet, when I ask them, "Have you considered breaking up with him?" Their response is not always a simple 'Yes' or 'No'. Instead it's considered a rationale response to simply say, "He won't hear of it." or "He doesn't want to talk about it."

Now, just to clarify a bit, I don't believe in just casually disappearing out of someone's life either. The primary recourse in an unhappy relationship to be to discuss out the problems involved and work together to be more giving and considerate of each other. But when the very issue of communication, cooperation or consideration are lacking to begin with, trying to talk out the problem becomes a problem in itself.

But when a person has finally reached the end of their rope and things just don't show any promise of getting better due to the unwillingness of the other partner I believe it's then time to make one final, clear statement of things and, if there is still no genuine effort to make things better, simply inform the person there is no longer an exclusive status to the relationship. "It's over, I hope we can stay friends. I'm informing you, not asking you."

I say this because I've seen too many good-hearted men and women wait and stew for an agreement from their uncooperative, unloving mate that it's time to break up. Unlike beginning a relationship, ending one does not require mutual effort. In the meanwhile time passes and the unhappy member learns to simply lower their expectations of what they originally wanted in a relationship.

Here is where I'd like to back-track a bit and look at part of what makes a relationship an attractive idea to begin with. It is in our nature to have two specific needs fulfilled. The need to give love and the need to receive love. Mother Teresa once said, "Leprosy is not the greatest plague of mankind.. it is instead to go through life unloved." So when we meet someone with hopes of a healthy relationship, it is these two things; giving love and receiving love; that we hope to find available.

If, as time passes, it is discovered that this person we've met has the willingness to receive all the love we are willing to give, but is lackluster in their own enthusiasm to give any love back.. I believe it's perfectly proper to stop and say, "I love you, but your behavior is unacceptable for this deep a relationship." With acquaintances, friends, family it's easier to give once in a while in a much less intimate way even if they do not reciprocate. We may not like it when they don't, but the relationship is not as close as the exclusive one between one man and one woman. If stopping the show with our beloved and making our unhappiness clear to them isn't enough to stir them from losing us, it's quite possible thiers is only an endeared affection they have for us.. but not sacrificial love that seeks the pleasure of the beloved.

In love, it is our joy and responsibility to give in the way we relate to our beloved. But love is not -all- a matter of us giving. In seeking the best for our loved one we must take the initiative to let them know that they do this love an injustice by living with a selfish stance. And so it is that we must not only give love, but also accountably require it of the one that would stand so near to us and whisper, "I love you." We must do it to keep love balanced, to maintain our self-respect and for the betterment of the one we love.

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Jump Rope History

While many people associate jump roping with children on a playground, the fact is that jump rope history goes back to early human history. From the earliest days of rope jumping to today, the sport has evolved considerably and is now a competitive sport.

Known as jump rope, skip rope, rope jumping, and skipping, the activity dates back to ancient civilizations.

The Egyptians used to jump over vines, aborigines jumped over bamboo, and paintings from the medieval period show images of children jumping hoops. Many people associate jump roping with girls' play, but history indicates that jump roping was originally a man's game.

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4 Secrets Men Keep And Why You Should Let Them

Many of us believe that if we are close to our man, we should know everything he is thinking, the secrets he keeps are little enemies, tearing us apart. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is absolutely necessary for each person in a relationship to have their own personal world, their thoughts, feelings and boundaries that belong to them and no one else.

Being close doesn't mean being "fused" into one person. It means loving, honoring and respecting the other and sharing what it is that can be shared. If a man (or woman) feels that there is no room for them to have their own thoughts and experiences while in a relationship, they can easily feel that their individuality and sense of self is slipping away. Needless to say, a good relationship not only brings two people closer, but enhances each person's sense of self worth and individuality. Here are 5 secrets that men often keep to themselves, and why it is important to let them do so.

1)That he looks at and is attracted to other women.

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How To Be Wanted For a Lifetime of Nights and Not Just a Night of a Lifetime.

The fires of passion and sex burn hot in the world around us. Chasing desire seems to be a common theme in the world today. Music videos, the Internet, TV shows, movies, magazines and books often have one common theme, the feeding of desire. Our society has indeed become preoccupied with sex, and more and more are getting caught in the web of deception that chasing desire creates.

If a lasting relationship is what your heart is searching for, read on.

If you want to see why a "lifetime of nights" approach to relationships and love is better than a "night of a lifetime" approach, read on.

If you would like to know the difference between "the fire that warms" and "the fire that burns", please continue.

Stop and think about it.

• Are you dating online or offline and trying to connect with your heart and not just your body?
• Has committed love and making love last somehow been lost in a mindset of recreational sex?
• Are you making relationships more about passion than promise and being seduced by an over-emphasis on the bedroom and the body?
• Do you find it easy to attract a relationship but hard to keep a relationship?

"How To Be Wanted For a Lifetime of Nights and Not Just a Night of a Lifetime" will help you to pull the blinds on your mind and condition you to shut out the lead-with-the-body influences that are all around you.