Cindy stole my Health Tip! Well, not exactly... but she did write one on Relationships, which is what I was planning on doing! :-) Oh well, I�ll just write on some other aspects of relationships that were not mentioned before. And, don�t tell, but I�m going to use the Goonies picture that was meant for last week. Nobody�ll notice, right? It�s still kinda relevant to this week. Just use your imagination.
One interesting thing about relationships are the friendship triangles, or the "Bizarre Love Triangles" as those of us who have "true faith" in the "new order" prefer to call them! You see, there are eight triangles, each having or lacking a different combination of sides representing Commitment, Intimacy, and Passion.
[pictures of triangles not available on webpage version of Health Tips]
So the range goes from none of the three elements (non-love), to one element (liking, infatuation, empty love), to two elements (romantic, fatuous, companionate), and, finally, to three elements (consummate love).
In developing a relationship, you will probably recognize these certain definite stages that one goes through:
(1) Searching, (2) Fantasy, Thinking, Planning, (3) First Contact, Initial Impression, (4) Spending Time Together, (5) Re-evaluation, (6) Committing or Breaking it Off, (7) Balancing, (8) Developing Cyclical Patterns....
A question from the Q & A box last semester asked us to write something sometime about the stereotype that in a new heterosexual relationship the guy has to be the one to initiate it. Fortunately, society is progressing, and it is becoming ever more common for a girl to ask a guy out, for her to pay for the date, to hold the door open, etc. Just so you know, ladies, most of us guys are usually glad when you ask us out! We have always had to face the sometimes difficult tasks of picking up the phone, starting the chit-chat, asking you out, and then dealing with either the Rejection (preferred) or the lame Excuses. Over and over again. Ladies, if you are interested in somebody, just ask the person out! It doesn�t have to be anything grandiose � you could get coffee, go for a walk, see a matinee, or whatever. No need to bat the eyelashes and play the games until we finally (if ever) get a clue. Go for it!
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