| Although you’re receiving this letter after Valentine’s Day, I’m writing it before. Lisa and I are heading to The Algonquin, a beautiful resort just a 45-minute drive away. We’re getting the Valentine’s package. We’re looking forward to it. (Fun fact: The Algonquin Resort is a huge, sprawling inn in St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick, Canada. Stephen King lives just over the border in Maine. This resort inspired King for The Shining. Google it and you’ll see why.) Lisa and I are going on 44 years of marriage, come May. We’ve been in love for 45. Holy smokes, I can’t believe it! What’s really cool is that we are more in love than ever. People ask us how we do it. I think this is a huge issue today. I’m seeing a lot of people wishing they could be in love, and if they do fall in love, wishing they could stay in love. Disclaimer: I don’t believe that everyone needs to stay in love forever. But some want to, and they want to know how. I think Terrence Real captures the gist of it in the above quote: it takes work. Not just to find the love. Not just to promise it. Not just to establish it. But to keep it. Real is right! Lisa and I know this to be true. There’s no rule book or roadmap or right way. It’s a moment-to-moment negotiation with our own selves, with the one(s) we love, and with the circumstances that get thrown at us at every given moment. If Lisa and I keep our minds and hearts open and keep the communication flowing, then this is how we navigate it successfully. But communication is key. Talk talk talk! It’s like two people in a canoe. Sometimes we can just float along peacefully on a calm river. Other times we navigate rapids. No matter what, we’re talking our way through it. Advice: We learn to handle stress by meditating in stillness and silence. So… learn to communicate your feelings during the calm times so that you’ll be prepared when the rapids come. Learn how to communicate your feelings. Maybe I will talk about how to do this in some easy steps next week. Off to The Shining! I mean… The Algonquin. Because all work and no play makes David a dull boy. | 