This blog is intended for husbands.

I’ve always believed that marriage is a lifelong courtship.

With that as a goal, here are some surprises for your spouse:

Clean up the table after a meal.

Make the bed.

Take out the trash.

Clean out the car(s).

Look for the opportunity to pay a compliment.

When you’re going out, open the door for her.

Do you catch my drift?

If not today, when?

Do you realize the impact of a compliment?

The receiving person gets an immediate boost to their self-image.

They might have been having a bad day.

And you turned it into a good day!

Do you think that giving a compliment is old-fashioned?

WRONG!!!!

If there was ever a time when kindness is needed, it’s now.

And one of the kindest things you’ll ever do is pay a compliment!

If not today, when?

Today’s world probably upsets you on a regular basis.

The irony is that you usually become more angry with loved ones.

That’s because you spend more time with loved ones than anyone else.

A temper can undermine your relationship with family members.

And most importantly, your spouse.

You must ALWAYS keep your emotions under control.

Remember, you can’t take back words spoken in anger.

If you feel your temper rising, walk away and give yourself a moment to calm down.

You owe it to your loved ones!

If not today, when?

Eating an anti-inflammatory diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables instead of an inflammatory diet lowered the risk of dementia by 31%, a new study found.

An inflammatory diet is focused on red and processed meats and ultraprocessed foods, such as sugary cereals, sodas, fries and ice cream,

That benefit held true even for people with existing diagnoses of cardiometabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease or stroke, said Abigail Dove, lead author of the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Network Open. (CNN)

Enter battery skyscrapers.

At the end of May, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the architecture and engineering firm behind some of the world’s tallest buildings, announced a partnership with the energy storage company Energy Vault to develop new gravity energy storage solutions.

That includes a design for a skyscraper that would use a motor powered by electricity from the grid to elevate giant blocks when energy demand is low.

These blocks would store the electricity as “potential” energy.

When there is demand, the blocks would be lowered, releasing the energy, which would be converted into electricity. (CNN)

It sounds like the conversion to clean energy won’t be easy, but possible!

Months ago, my wife planted a flower in the kitchen near a window.

We were not familiar with the flower, but, to our amazement, it flourished year-round.

Do you flourish year-round?

Remember, your degree of happiness is entirely up to you.

That flower made the adjustments necessary to thrive in its new environment.

YOU CAN DO THAT TOO!

If you awaken with a frown, your day will go likewise.

Or, given the same circumstances, a smile allows for possibilities.

Like the flower in our kitchen, “Bloom Where You’re Planted!”

If not today, when?

(New York Times Column, “Here To Help”)

Looking to make more friends?

Here are 5 ideas:

ANSWER THE QUESTION: “I AM ____?” Such as a mom, a gardner, a book lover. Join communities that reflect your attributes.

BECOME A REGULAR: The more times you show up where people gather, the more opportunities you have to make a connection.

GET CLOSER TO YOUR NEIGHBORS: To meet your neighbors, try doing them a small kindness.

JOIN A GROUP: Push yourself to join an existing group in which a friend is already a member.

CONTACT A PERSON WHO HAS HELPED YOU IN YOUR LIFE: Contact them and tell them how you appreciate their previous kindness. Maybe, it will form a closer bond.

If not today, when?

Today’s blog is for all the athletes who dedicate their young lives to winning an olympic medal and return home EMPTY HANDED.

I believe the title of this blog is appropriate.

Can you imagine the sacrifices made by their fanilies?

I’m sure most of them struggled to find the money to go to Paris.

And after losing, the families have to pick up the emotional pieces…

…and try to console their athlete.

Our world is not populated only by those who win.

It is mostly populated by those who TRY TO WIN!

May GOD bless them!

Yes, it’s another example of opposites attract.

I’m ready to go in the morning.

When I wake up, I get up!

My wife is a night person.

So, it’s harder for her to greet mornings.

All the evidence, however, says that opposites RARELY attract.

I don’t really think there is some formula for love.

I think all your senses are in play when you are attracted to a possible mate for life!

And that’s the way it should be.

According to me!

Years ago, we were at a party and my wife met a man who said he was concerned about his marriage now that the kids were raised.

He didn’t feel he and his wife had anything in common.

Sure enough, they were divorced two years later.

When the kids are no longer living under your roof, it’s different.

Before the kids came along, it was just the two of you.

And now it’s just the two of you again.

Hopefully both of you have matured and been shaped by your life experiences.

It is essential that along the way you have carved out activities that you can do together. It is so important that both of you are “interesting” people with lots in common so the relationship can continue to thrive and grow after the kids are gone.

The plan to have a vibrant marriage is not optional. It should begin from the very beginning and continue to the very end.

You must consciously grow your relationship all the way.

If not today, when?