Copyright 2008, Measure Up Place LLC
I Swear
It was a historic day in America as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president. “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics,” Mr. Obama said during his post-oath speech. Unlike the speech four years ago, in which George W. Bush made a promise to spread democracy throughout the world, now President, Obama called upon Americans for their cooperation, their participation, and their support as he laid out his goals of peace.
The challenges that will face President Obama will not wait for him to get comfortable in the White House. On his first full day in office, Mr. Obama will meet with the architect of an Iraq war policy he once opposed, Gen. David Petraeus, to deliver the orders to begin withdrawing combat troops from Iraq. Then Obama must begin to confront the rough road ahead; with the current Israeli actions in Gaza, Iranian nuclear programs, and a domestic economic crisis (to mention only a few) it is unlikely that Mr. Obama will have any time to reflect on his achievement.
Meanwhile, the world waits with collective fingers crossed. Hoping.
Will Obama have what it takes to bring a nation together to rally through these difficult times?
Word Count
If your man does not seem eager to express his feelings, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any. It’s possible that he just doesn’t have the means to share them. A link between the center of emotions and speech center are 40% less developed in men than they are in women. This may account for the fact that your man doesn’t have the need to express his every thought. It is said that on average, women pronounce 25000 words a day, while men pronounce only 12000.
It seems women, the very source of their men’s happiness, spend a great deal of time worrying whether their men want to stay in the relationship or are waiting to run at the first chance. These worries originate out of misunderstanding. Women often view their men’s lack of verbal expression as unhappiness or withdrawal and with this unknown comes fear. Women tend to think that not talking about the relationship means that there are problems, but it’s the opposite for men. If they’re not talking about it, it means they’re happy.
Learn to understand your man’s feelings without talking about them. For men, just the word— feelings is an Achilles heal. One mention of the “f-word” and watch conversation come to an end; instead, ask him what he thinks about, what he would do… anything but feelings. Many times its best to take a deep breath, and just observe your man. Men tend to be much more physically expressive. Pay attention to body language and don’t try to pull answers out of him- men will say what’s on their mind, sometimes it just takes a bit longer than women are used to.
And know that when he does say “I Love You” it means that he loves you, and has been thinking about it long before the words leave his mouth.