Now that we have taken a look at what to look for in friendships that last. Again, the Gottmans have four items that lead to romantic relationships ending, and I believe that we can apply them to friendships too. According to the Gottmans, the four things that can make a romantic relationship last are the following: build a culture of appreciation, gentle start ups, responsibility, and physiological self-soothing. Let’s take a closer look at how each of these might play out in a friendship. ...

We talk about red flags in romantic relationships, but what about in friendships? As a marriage and family therapist, I teach couples the four things that kill a relationship per the Gottmans: contempt, defensiveness, criticism, and stonewalling. Each of these have been proven through evidence based research to lead to the demise of a relationship. It isn’t so far-fetched to assume that the same things apply to any other relationship, especially friendships. Let’s take a closer look at each...

We turn away from death. Someone else handles the dead. Someone else makes the arrangements. Someone else takes care of it. We don’t deal with it. This makes me wonder: Does turning away from the process of death hinder our grief? She’s got a smile that it seems to me Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky Looking death in the eyes was the most selfless thing I could have done. Instead of having the veterinarian deal with it, I made...