January 2008

It’s true. You might find that accepting a little misery might make you happier. A friend of mine had a parallel though, “You know Becki, sometimes you just know you are going to take a beating”.

How comforting.

Anyway, in a wonderful article from one of the world’s last bastions of independant news, The BBC, came this report from June of 2007. It’s good medicine for all our relationships in 2008. As published in the Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy, researchers from California State University, Northridge and Virginia Tech say expecting and accepting life’s miserable times are better than striving for perfection.

Some of the findings were surprising, if not shocking, so brace yourselves:

• There is no way to avoid suffering in our relationships. You simply cannot have a perfect marriage, relationship or friendship

• No relationships can be in a perfect state of happiness. All relationships eventually have very hard times

• The mental health industry appears to be perpetuating the myth that with enough work (or medication) we can be always happy

• It is “fantasy” that any relationship could be perfect and that striving for such an impossible state could lead to bitter disappointment.

You may read the full report at the BBC by visiting the article at their site here.    The relationships experts recommended meditation as a help to ease pressure in expectations.  One would think a good shot of bourbon might help too.

Well our United States Presidential Election draws nearer today and you may or may not be any clearer on who to vote for. Well the Beck’s Cafe baristas have brewed a helpful tool just for you. You should use this only after you get over your New Year’s Eve hangover

The Candidate Calculator will help you determine who may best align with your position! Let’s face it, there are so many choices this time around WHO are you going to pick? It’s a puzzler that’s for sure, but as the Candidate Calculator recommends:

Answer the questions below to find the 2008 presidential candidate that best aligns with your beliefs. More than 1.5 million people have already filled it out. Give it a try!

Mark the column for Yes if you support the issue and No if you oppose it. After that, select how important the topic is to you. If you are unsure or have no opinion on a topic, just mark the Unsure column. You will be scored based upon how well you match the current views of each of the 2008 presidential candidates.

You should go visit the Candidate Calculator and see WHO lines up with you….then vote