A Man's Man Interview

Hey everybody! I hope you have been enjoying all the snow we have been getting. This week I would like to jump right into the article since we have a very special feature this week. I did not take the opportunity to answer any questions because I scored a great interview. Two weekends ago, I had the privilege to deliver the keynote address at the yearly Man’s Man Conference. In case you are unfamiliar with the Man’s Man Conference, it’s a conference that celebrates some of the manliest men to ever grace the Earth. Just a few men who I had the honor to spend time with were Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Colin Mochrie from Whose Line Is It Anyway, Neil Diamond, Johnny Depp, Barack Obama, and Michael Cera. The conference had various seminars you could attend like “What It Takes To Be A Hunk”, “The Pros and Greater Pros of Beards”, “A Man’s Man With Brains” and many other lectures. The big news is that I caught a rare interview with Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, and Denzel Washington about it means to be a man’s man. The following is excerpt from that interview.

Dr. Crews: You guys are obviously the poster boys for the man’s man movement, how does this mean to you?

Russell Crowe: Obviously I take a great deal of pride in this movement. As a young actor, some of the older male actors really made fun of me for not being “manly enough” but that all changed after my movie “Gladiator.” I don’t know if you’ve seen it lately but that’s a pretty manly movie, one of the manliest. NO ONE makes fun of me now [laughs]. I try to remember where I used to be and try to let the young actors know that they can be a man’s man too, if they try really hard.

Brad Pitt: Yeah, like Russ, we are just extremely flattered to front this great movement.

Denzel Washington: Most definitely.

Dr.C: What are some causes or movements that you are helping with in the man’s man movement.

DW: I personally have been trying to combat men wearing briefs for a couple years now. I just can’t believe it. Grown men wearing briefs? The only way to go for a man’s man is to wear boxers and at the very least boxer-briefs are ok. With organization I’m with, Briefs Be Gone, we hope to put an end to brief wearing by 2015.

RC: Wow, Denz, that’s great. I recently joined a charity called “Stop Locker Room Rock”. You know when you walk into a high school locker room and a member of the football team is playing just God-awful music at full blast, attempting to get “pumped up”. That‘s what we are trying to put a stop too. We’ve helped a lot of people already.

BP: For me, I have been working on some legislation that would allow John Mayer to keep making music but keep him as far away as humanly possible from any sort of female life. It’s really going to do some good.

Dr.C: Brad, when did it first occur to you that you were a man’s man?

BR: Ohh goodness [laughs]. Let’s see. I think it was in December my sophomore year in college. I remember I wore jeans, a sweater, and a dress shirt underneath the sweater. When I got back to my dorm room, it was really warm so I took off the sweater. I looked in the mirror and realized that I was wearing jeans with a tucked-in dress shirt and it didn’t nerdy or like I was home-schooled. That’s when I knew.

Dr.C: What’s the manliest television show on the air these days?

DW: I think it is without a doubt Survivor, just because Survivor is greatest television show ever created, not counting David Letterman.

BP: Ohh yeah, David is king. There is no doubt about that.

RC: Yeah, but Dave is late night so I think you would to categorize Survivor as manliest primetime show and Dave as the manliest late night show.

DW: That’s a great way to put it

Dr.C: A manly piece of advice for our readers?

BP: When doing laundry, don’t forget to do separate loads for your whites and colors. I always forget man [laughs]

RC: It’s always best to leave your top three buttons unbuttoned when wearing a button up shirt. That’s as manly as it gets.

DW: Clothes make the man, but a good pair of socks make a man’s man.

Dr.C: Thanks guys.

So there you go readers. If you are struggling or have a friend who is struggling with what it means to be a man’s man, please take this interview to heart and I hope it can shed some light into your life. Until next time, make sure to give at least one handshake, one hug, and one high-five.

Romantic Movies!

Hello readers! It’s good to be back on campus after a long winter break. Just to update you on what’s been up in the life of Dr. Crews, I released my wildly anticipated and wildly acclaimed book, Love with Wings: A Deep Look Into the Socioeconomic Love Patterns In the Disney Movie, D2: Mighty Ducks. Let me tell you folks, this is a great book and a nabbed a once in a lifetime interview with Emilio Estevez. If you have room on the bookshelf, do me and do yourselves a favor by adding this book to your collection. I also had the privilege of going on a book tour in Europe with my dear friend, Nicholas Sparks. As you may recall Nicholas and I went on a backpacking trip along the paths of Italy this summer and it was good to be reunited with an old friend. We shared many amazing experiences including me having the privilege to read my new book to the Queen of England.

Well this week instead of answering some questions I thought it would be helpful to compile a guide to classic romantic movies you can watch with your significant other this upcoming Valentine’s Day. This is a sure-fire way for you to rekindle some of the spark you may have lost during the busy holiday season or because of the depressing February weather. Let’s get started!

Forrest Gump

Not only is this movie one of the all-time greatest romances, it’s one of the all-time greatest movies ever! Better than Citizen Cane! This movie really pulls at the heartstrings. Tom Hanks plays the sort of character he is usually typecasted as, great men in unfortunate situations (Just think of his character in Philadelphia with aids or his character in The Da Vinci Code with that haircut). Watching this movie with your partner will provide plenty of laughs and before you know you will be sobbing (or maybe snogging) all over each other. Just a word for the wise, do not attempt to hold your partners hands during the Vietnam scenes. Chose either to make the move before or after but not during the Vietnam scene. Vietnam wasn’t really that romantic.

Casablanca

Holy cow, folks. Casablanca is like the Bible of romance movies. Casablanca is like the Michael Jordan of romance movies. Casablanca is like the Ken Jennings of romance movies. It is IMPOSSIBLE to watch this movie without growing more in love with the person beside you (which is a good reason not to watch this movie with someone you have absolutely no intention of dating). Have you ever seen a couple where one person is extremely attractive and the other person is not? Have you ever wondered why? This movie is the reason. Somehow that “other person” got the very attractive person to watch Casablanca with them. If you are someone who is unattractive, you should really try to use this strategy. It never fails. This movie really tugs at the heartstrings.

A Goofy Movie

Casablanca may be considered the greatest romantic movie of all time, but there is no doubt that A Goofy Movie comes in a close second. And I mean a close second. Not only is it a fantastic movie, but A Goofy Movie has the greatest soundtrack of all time! Based on a true story, A Goofy Movie portrays the journey of Max Goof as he tries to impress his crush and his cross-country trip with his Dad. It really tugs at the heartstrings.

Well there you have it. Chose any (or all) of these three movies and you are guaranteed to have the best Valentine’s day ever! You will have the Michael Jordan of all Valentine’s Days! You will have the Ken Jennings of all Valentine’s Days! These movies are sure to tug at the heartstrings. Also, I wanted to say Happy Birthday to Love & Relations Relating to Relationships as we celebrate one year here at the L&RRTR headquarters.

Sportz!

Welcome again, readers! I hope it was scary how good your Halloween was. Personally, I had a great one. I had the honor of attending a really great Halloween dance party with some good friends. With a colorful T-shirt and a baseball hat worn sideways, I went dressed as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. At the party, Will Smith told me how much he loved my costume and I shared a few dances with Cameron Diaz and Meg Ryan. All in all, it was one the best Halloweens. Enough of the Halloween talk, how about some questions?

Dear Dr. Crews,

I am having a hard time communicating with my husband. Here’s the problem. My husband is a huge sports fan and I am not. His idea of “quality couple time” this week has been watching the World Series. And I hate baseball. On Sundays all he does is watch football and talk about the “glory days” when he played football in 5^th grade. He says it was the best time of his life. The only game I’ve ever been a part of is monopoly and I’ve never finished. We went out to eat for dinner the other night. When we pulled up to the restaurant it was obviously full and we would have had to wait for a couple hours. Immediately upon seeing all the cars my husband shouts, “Audible! Red Audible! Steak N Shake! Set…Hit!” I have no idea what he is talking about.

Please help us!

Cindy Binford, Fort Tellinton, Minnesota

Well Cindy, it seems like you have a tough situation on your hands. Here is what I think you should do. You need to immerse yourself in the world of sports. You obviously love your husband so, although you hate sports, let the love for your husband drive your endeavors on the ball diamond and the basketball court. I’m not just going to leave you hanging, though, here are some suggestions that will enable you to connect with your husband a little bit better.

Coach A YMCA Basketball Team

Do you have a son or daughter? If you don’t you could always adopt or do something like Keanu Reeves in Hardball. After you have obtained a child somehow, sign them up for a YMCA basketball team and volunteer to coach it. Before the season make sure you read plenty of books like The Dummy’s Guide to Basketball, The Idiot’s Guide to Coaching Basketball, and A Season on the Brink. Now that you know all the fundamentals of basketball, it’s time to take your team to the championship. The night before every game, sit the team down and watch “Hoosiers” together. Also, make sure you watch plenty of Youtube videos of Bobby Knight so you will know how a real coach acts. Don’t be like the other YMCA coaches, great parents first, coaches second. You need to be out on the floor, in your kids face, screaming your head, cursing the parents of the other time, and throwing things onto the court. That way you’ll really be able to appreciate the depth of the sport and in turn be able to communicate with your husband better. I guarantee you will already start to feel like your heart beats at the same time.

Hang Out With “Da Boyz”

Everyone knows that there are only two things that men think about and talk to each other about: sports and Star Trek. We already know your aren’t having a Star Trek problem with your husband, but hanging with “da boyz” will provide ample outlets for you to obtain sports knowledge and a sports worldview. Go to Bdubs or a local pub to “catch some brewskis” and chat it up about the wide world of sports. Ask them what they thought about D-Wade’s perform last night or if they saw that sick play by CP3 (not a Star Wars character). Do they think “the Boys” will be able to capture first in the NFC East? Can North Carolina repeat? These are the types of questions you need to ask them so that you can go home and talk with your husband about them. That way when you snuggle in bed with husband, you won’t feel like there is a 3^rd and a mile distance between you, but rather like it’s 1^st and goal.

Watch “The Natural” Together

This will be a great way to connect with your husband. Grab a blanket, throw some popcorn in the microwave, and get ready to see the emotional side of your husband. When Roy looks to the batboy and says, “Pick me out a winner Bobby”, don’t be surprised when you and your husband reach for the tissue box at the same time. Also, this is going to clear up the confusion when you used to ask your husband at the dinner, “Which pork chop do you want?” Women love seeing their hubbies cry and I guarantee watching “The Natural” is a sure fire way to make this happen.

I hope this helps, Cindy. Remember, a good back up plan is to watch Sportscenter as much as possible. Well, that is all for this week, readers, but let me leave you with these proposals. Go outside! Throw the pigskin around! Play some catch! Kick a few goals! And make sure you remember, forever, the night you played the Titans!

Scary Couples

Welcome to the fall, readers! We in the National Love Association greatly anticipate the fall season. It is full of bonfires, hayrides, haunted houses, and plenty of other flirting opportunities. Naturally, this is a season where the skills of a Love Doctor thrive. I would also like to make a point that this is the 10^th Love & Relations article! It’s hard to believe that only 9 months ago the cries of the lonely and love challenged inspired me to create this article.

Well, not only is it fall, but also Halloween is just around the corner! This week’s article will not include a question because from time to time I like to highlight special relationships and feature them in the article. Some of you long time readers might remember the special feature on bromances last year. Since Halloween is coming up, I would like to highlight some especially scary relationships. Woooowhhhooowhooo! That was suppose to be a terrifying sound a ghost makes. I hope it worked. I hope you jumped a little bit or got a cold shiver or you arm hair started to raise or you said, “Man that was scary!”, any one of them. Just as long as you were scared…………….Anyway, so Halloween is coming and here now are some scary relationships that are sure to leave you in a cold sweat and make you sleep with the lights on.

Lizzie & Dave Borden

The rhyme goes, “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her father 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done she gave her mother 41.” Now someone please tell me how it wouldn’t be scary to be married to this lady. Your wife does something so sinister that there is a jump rope rhyme dedicated to it. Jump ropes aren’t usually thought of to be scary but think about this: every time you jump rope, you have a high probability of being decapitated. Now that’s scary and I’m not just making stuff up, that’s statistics. Not many people know this but Dave Borden was a little bit of a celebrity himself. He was wildly popular for being the inventor of the Toaster Strudel but quickly forgotten after the horrific news of his wife’s killings reached the world. Dave slipped into the shadows to avoid being associated with his wife but he continued to invent things (the Breakfast Toaster Strudel, Pizza Toaster Strudel, Crab Cake Toaster Strudel, General Tso’s Toaster Strudel, and gum). However, it will be his wife, Lizzie Borden, who will always be remember when there is a scary story that needs to be told around a bonfire.

Edgar Allen Poe & Virginia Clemm

Edgar Allen Poe was a magnificent poet, short story writer, and a Grade-A weirdo. There is no doubt that this has to be the strangest relationships to ever have existed (bar Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey). Can you imagine this conversation at the dinner table? “Edgar darling, would you like another buffalo wing?” Virginia would ask him. “Nevermore! Nevermore! I’m full.” Weird. Another scary aspect of this relationship was Edgar’s appearance. He was not what you would call “gifted-in-the-looks-department”. In 1835, Edgar married his 13 year-old cousin, Virginia. I probably don’t have to go any farther to explain how scary this relationship is.

Ray and Debra Barone & Doug and Carrie Heffernan

Now here are two relationships that continually give me the shivers! I am in absolute fear of the wrath of these two wives. I think we are all familiar with the situation, Ray and Doug participate in some wacky plan to sneak out golfing or find a way to watch a ball game with the fellas without their wives finding out. Here’s the thing, the wives always find out! What is scary is how they always know. What is scarier is their reaction to their husband’s stupidity. Debra has an angry stare that will make the viewer pee their pants. Carrie is one of the most physically intimidating women I have ever seen in my life. If I were to be caught in a dark alley with an angry Carrie, I would curl into a little ball and pray that Sweet Jesus would some how save me from the beating I was about to endure. Yes, these are two caring wives who ultimately always forgive their husbands and give them a big ol’ hug to remind them that they love them, but when they get angry run for the hills! Besides, why can’t a guy just go catch a game with the boys? Am I right fellas? Am I right? Am I right? Am I right?

Jay-Z & Beyonce

What is scary about this relationship is how awesome they are, what good music they make, and how attractive Beyonce is. Jay-Z may have 99 problems but he is most definitely right in saying his “woman” ain’t one. I mean seriously, this has to be one the most artistically explosive relationships to exist! So many hits! Jay-Z just leaks cool and Beyonce has the voice of an angel, an angel with some sista soul power. I just can’t see how it’s a hard knock life for these two. As many of my readers know I have taken a vow of celibacy, but not many people know I did this because Beyonce got married and my hopes were lost. Although Jay-Z is extremely awesome, don’t you ever for a second get to thinking that he’s irreplaceable. If the Jay-Z and Beyonce broke up, I for one would like to be that replacement. No disrespect Jay-Z. Having said that, it is most likely that these two will continue to kick out the tunes and be a scary awesome couple. If you agree with me, just raise your hand to the left, to the left.

Well there you have it, some scary relationships that will leave you with nightmares, wanting to sleep at the end of your parents bed, and bouncing to “Big Pimpin”. Until next time, I hope this Halloween leaves you with plenty of candy when you go trick-or-treating. Remember to check out the L&RRTR blog and to join the facebook group. Peace up, A-town down.

Tales of Instant Messager Relationships

Hello faithful readers! The weather has begun to turn cold and fall has made its presence known. What a perfect time to light a bonfire, grab a pumpkin pie blizzard, and snuggle up with a loved one.

 

I would like start off this week’s column with a new segment. It’s the official L&RRTR Trivia Time. If you can correctly answer the weekly trivia question presented in the column and you email the answer to me at 200806058@panthers.greenville.edu, you will receive a shout-out in the next column and a personalized letter from me, Dr. Crews, or Michael Jordan in your campus mailbox, whoever is available that week. And Michael Jordan is usually pretty busy. So here is this week’s question: What is my favorite holiday? Again, if you can answer this question correctly, email me and receive your shout-out and free prize. Now, for our weekly love question:

 

Dear Dr. Crews,

 

On September 28th at 12:05 in the morning, a new message came into my inbox that I need help with. You see, it is from a guy who used to pursue me my sophomore year of high school; long distance type of thing. We instant messaged for a while, but I soon realized that we had a difference in interests, so I kind of ended it. I haven't heard from him in years, and then this message came: "Hey completely random but I had a dream about you last night lol but just thought I'd say hi! Hope all is well." Dr. Crews! What does this mean? Do you have any wisdom concerning dreaming and ex-interests? Should I dare to respond? If so, what advice do you have concerning the content of the response? I am very much so in love with my boyfriend, Jason, so I don't want to "encourage" another pursuit...

 

Facebook freakout,

Sarah Beth Meyers

Warrenton, Missouri

 

Sarah Beth, what a great question. This is a situation that us doctors in the love field get quite regularly, particularly with college and high school students. This is what we like to call an IMR (Instant Message Relationship). It definitely gives you the willies and creeps you out a little bit. I believe it would be correct to say that we all have been there. It seems in this particular context, you, Sarah, haven’t spoke to him in years and then, out of the blue, this young man returns and tells you he is having dreams about you. Flattering, yet disturbing.

 

Fortunately, I happened to have written a book concerning IMRs. It’s entitled, The Aim of Love: Relations by the Use of Instant Messaging. This book explores the pros and cons of relationships through the media of the World Wide Web. The pros are meeting your potential spouse through eharmony and the cons are a crap load of creepers, sex offenders, and filthy minded men contain practically free reign over they entire Internet. Surprisingly, you seemed to have come across a con. Now that we have identified that this Internet relationship is not one of the warm, fuzzy feeling kind, we need to move on about how to take care of this situation.

 

There are about three different ways to attack this situation: Aggressively, moderately, and lethargically. The lethargic way would be to ignore him. Although, this particular attack is somewhat effective, it is not ideal and hovers around a 24.7 % success rate, which is not good enough. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the aggressive attack. This one is difficult to pull off but his highly effective. The technique is you respond to your old friend with a message that says, “Hey, this is Sarah’s sister and I just wanted to let you know that Sarah died in a horrific bowling accident. We are all still grieving pretty heavily. I have access to her account so I can keep everyone informed. Please don’t respond. – Serena.” This approach will of course have to be followed by deleting your facebook account, possibly create a new one under a fake name to keep in touch with loved ones, and stay at home except when you are sure you are at a place that you won’t see him. Like I said, it’s aggressive.

 

If you are not up for either of those techniques, then it seems that the moderate attack is the one for you. In the moderate attack you basically respond to your old friend with statements that sorta, kinda compromise your morality by sorta, kinda lying but it’s not reallllly lying and you ultimately convince yourself that there is no other way of doing it and you have to because you don’t want to lead this guy on and hurt his feelings when in reality you just don’t really want anything to do with him. This is the most common technique. You give him answers like, “Yeah, I’m married. Actually, I am really busy this weekend. I just dropped my phone and it doesn’t work, so there is no use giving you my phone number,” those sorts of statements.

 

With these three attacks, you are sure to put an end to that IMR. Thanks for the question, Sarah. What a relevant question for today’s youth of America!

 

That just about does it for this week’s column. On last thing is an opportunity for all you single-ladies (Beyonce, anyone?) out there. After weeks of badgering on behalf of my roommate to feature him in the article so to remedy his singleness, I have decided to do so. Jarrod Beasley is 19 years young, with a killer beard and a love for metal. In his spare time he likes to put together puzzles, play farkle (thanks to me), watch football, perform in the campus Improv Troupe, and go on bike rides. Jarrod’s top two goals for his tenure at Greenville College are to 1) Receive an excellent education and 2) find his wife. This is your opportunity to meet the boy of your dreams. He can be contacted by facebook or at 618-334-0916.

 

Well thank you again Sarah and good luck Jarrod! As for me, I will see you in two weeks. Join the facebook group and love your neighbor!

Healthcare Kisses After Bedtime Prayers

Hello Again! Thank you for such the warm support of last week’s column. As I had imagined, many of you have experiences where you can compare your love life with the thrill of roller coasters. As I was preparing for my column, I have noticed several of you responding with burning question. I think the note I hove chosen below highlights best everyone’s concern that has written in. So although I will be writing like I am responding to just Jessica, it really is a column for all of you out there who’s marriage is feeling the same strain as this letter.

 

Dear Dr. Crews,

            I’m writing you because I have found quite the problem between my husband and I. You see, we are divided over the issue of Healthcare. I am for reform and a universal system, supporting President Obama. My husband thinks that the system is the best how it is and is not in support of the President at all concerning this issue. I don’t know. It has lead to much anger and rage in our family. We husband and I begin to dialogue about this issue and it soon turns to me hurling the lamp at him (which, I am said to say, really happened). It really is affecting our family. Please help!

 

Jessica Martz,

Lake Roak, Colorado

 

Wow, what a powerful letter, Jessica. I have spent quite some time thinking about this issue and I hope to find a way for you and your husband could better communicate because it might be the saving grace for your marriage. Luckily for me, since I am not seeing anyone (eh eh eh, call me up ladies?….just kidding, don’t do that) it hasn’t caused a strain in my love life but I think we can all understand this issue in the context of conversations with our family and friends. After all, it is a proven fact that our family and friends just aren’t as intelligent as we are. Let me throw a few suggestions for you and your husband, Jessica.

 

One thing you need to learn is how to have healthy dialogues again. One way you can go about doing this is by asking each other a question that you both already know the answer to. That way, there is no dispute about the answer and you are both able to dialogue civilly and not blow up at each other. For example, if you ask your husband, “Which do you prefer, Lethal Weapon I, II, III, or IV?” He would respond, “Oh, without a doubt Lethal Weapon IV!” Which is, of course, the right answer. “Are you kidding me? Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, AND Chris Rock?” Then you both will be able to have hours of conversation that you find are enjoyable and you both can agree. If you were to ask him, “Jiff or Peter Pan?” He would respond, “Well choosy moms choose Jiff and I would have to agree with that.” Again, endless and pleasant discussion for you and your loved one.

 

Here is another suggestion that I think you should implement into your family’s life. Never talk about politics. Never talk about politics. Never talk about politics. Rabbi’s have this tradition that if you say something three times in a row, out loud, then it becomes written on a star or copyrighted or something to that effect. So go ahead say it out loud. Never talk about politics. Never talk about politics. Never talk about politics. If your husband asks you, “Did you hear what President Obama said today?” You should respond, “I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with that name.” Your husband, “Jessica are your messing with me?” You, “Ohh! I just remembered I forgot Stacy at soccer practice!” Crisis averted. You run out of that house like bobcat and drive towards freedom. And honestly, you should probably just do that every time you start talking about politics. Of course, you are going to have to think of a lot of excuses and keep them in your blackberry. This way all of your conversations remain stress free and you will find that you and your husband are reaching new depths of love.

 

One last suggestion that should be helpful for you is to drop healthcare and consider what it’s like to not have it. I really am not in the position to say which policy is best or who is right and who is wrong. My expertise is in love, not government, but perhaps you might consider both viewpoints of the argument. That’s what we do in the Love and Relations field. Perhaps you might find the some blessings in what you have now. Perhaps you might find the difficulty of not having it. Perhaps to the answer to “Should healthcare be reformed or should we keep the system we have?” is yes. Again, I know nothing concern American government so you should talk to people on both sides of the argument. To quote my great friend, G. K. Chesterton, “The truth is that people who worship health cannot remain healthy.” Perhaps that applies to healthcare as well.

 

Well there you have it Jessica and all the other readers who were brave enough to write in. I truly appreciate it! Keep sending your questions and I will answer them as best as I can. Don’t forget to check out the facebook group Love & Relations Relating to Relationships or the blog http://relationsrelatingtorelationships.blogspot.com/. This one is dedicated to my homies.

Rollercoaster Love

Hello Lovers! I hope you had an excellent summer full of long walks on the beach and strolls through fields of white flowers. I, for one, am extremely excited to be joining the staff for another year of teaching all the young and impressionable Greenville students about the ins and outs of relationships. I was fortunate enough to spend my summer traveling along the paths of Italy with non-other than the world-renowned romance author, Nicholas Sparks. We had many insightful conversations that had a major influence on his new book, When Love Collides. That book should be hitting the shelves late January of 2010. As fascinated as I’m sure you are about my summer, I know the real reason why you have come to read this column and that is to receive some advice about love and relationships. So let’s get to it!

 

Dear Dr. Crews,

 

To end the summer with a bang, my boyfriend and I spent our last day together before returning to college at an amusement park. It was such a great time! At one point we both decided to go on this very big and very fast rollercoaster. It was such an experience! So joyful! What Ecstasy! I couldn’t help but think, “Is there some greater truth here about our relationship on this ride?” I have been wondering ever since. Please tell me!

 

Sincerely,

Sally Thomas, Rolling Hills Nebraska

 

Dear Sally,

 

You would not be the first to have deeply blissful experience and inquire about there being some larger truth at hand. To answer your question, yes! There are many things in life that can tell us about relationships. In fact, what you experienced was one of the most powerful. Rollercoasters and theme parks can tell us so much about relationships and dating. When I received your question, I immediately emailed my friend and colleague, Johannah Swank, because she just recently wrote a book entitled, Six Flags and Butterfly Kisses. Here is a list of analogies drawn from Ms. Swank’s book that may help shed some light about relationships for you:

 

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You have to get on and hope you don’t throw up

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Always eat a few burritos before you go

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: People cling to each other more out of fear than love

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Sometimes you have to wait in a long line to do something that wasn’t really that fun

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You get disoriented for all the twists and turns and have to pee when it’s over

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Sometimes when you look back at the pictures after it’s over, all you see is middle fingers

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: Sometimes you are buckled in too tight

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You have to be a certain height

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: It’s like taking that first dive under the bridge and you think you’re going to be decapitated

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: That soccer mom’s scream starts to make your ears bleed after awhile

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: There is a lot of body odor and sweaty palms

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: You should probably take off your hat and sunglasses

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: It gives your stomach thrills

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: I wonder if I left my hair curler on

·         Love is like a rollercoaster: It makes you want to kiss someone

·         Love is like a theme park: It costs a lot of money

·         Love is like a theme park: There is always one Amish family

·         Love is like a theme park: it’s busiest on summer nights

·         Love is like a theme park: When you dress up in a costume, you look like an idiot

·         Love is like a theme park: The worst is walking in wet sneakers

·         Dating is like a theme park: There are a lot of funny looking people out there

 

There you have it, Sally. I hope some of these analogies help you understand love and your relationship with your boyfriend a little better. Keep looking for these analogies and greater truths. They are everywhere in life.

 

Thanks for your great question! If you, the reader, or anyone else has questions concerning love and relationships feel free to email me, Dr. Crews, at 200806058@panthers.greenville.edu. Also, don’t forget to join the facebook group Love & Relations Relating to Relationships. In the meantime, get out there and go love someone!