There was never going to be a way to TRULY get there without taking the steps between here and “there.”

But when we realize that the act of taking each individual step prepares us to take the next one, we are less overwhelmed by the climb. We can be present and appreciate what each step offers. And when we are, the steps seem more worth taking. … More

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Passion — or erotic attraction — enlivens us. The singing birds drown out the alarm clock. The sun shines through the clouds. We are the sun, and the moon and the stars!

Passion seems too good to be true. And it is…well, not really; it just can’t stand alone very long.

In discussing passion’s role as one of the three parts of perfect love — the other two parts being intimacy and commitment — I promised to tell you how to feed passion with intimacy. It’s an epic task, but with equally epic rewards.

We can’t hold on to passion without intimacy, because by itself passion starts to feel empty. It doesn’t stand up in the face of life’s challenges. When illness strikes or a job loss threatens the roof over our heads, passion doesn’t seem nearly as important as it did when we were craving physical gratification.

The problem is when we add intimacy to give passion a foundation, passion eventually seems to fizzle out. Truth is — it’s tough to hold on to passion, with or without intimacy!

Passion is fueled by mystery. And intimacy means getting to know all about each other, understanding fears and dreams, seeing and hearing and smelling and tasting what makes us human.… More