Relationships Archives

Relationships take a lot of work. Dating, online dating, and courtship all have one goal, to give us a Relationship to thrive in. It is hard to find a healthy, attractive, and willing partner. When you do, what happens next is the most important part. I work on relationship-building as a skill set. How can I be a better partner? How can I say with this person for life?

aspiring towards unity – a love poem

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 31, 2019
Post category:Love Poetry Relationships Spirituality

what is your beauty but a gift and affirmation of human desire

Humans of Divorce: Fear of Being Alone, Again

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 30, 2019
Post category:Anger Co-Parenting Dating Depression Divorce humans of divorce Married Life Money Parenting Relationships Self-care Sex Single-Dad

I loved the family routine. I loved being their dad. I knew I was going to crash when I was no longer welcome in my own home. I knew depression was weeks away. I knew there was very little I could do to stop the sadness freight train that is divorce.

Let’s Talk About Masculinity: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 26, 2019
Post category:Anger Health and Fitness Relationships self-awareness

We can't start by emasculating ourselves or our male children. The battle of the sexes is not really a battle, it should be a dance. Let's refine our dance moves, set the music to a tempo we like, and get along in new and better ways.

Closure with Your Ex After Divorce: Setting Up Healthy Boundaries

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 25, 2019
Post category:Anger Co-Parenting Divorce Health and Fitness humans of divorce Parenting Relationships Self-care Single-Dad

As we get our barriers and boundaries in place, we can focus our energy and attention back on what's more important than our ex: everything. We can take our joyous energy and focus on our kids' happiness. If we can get out of our own way we can heal back into happy and healthy single parents.

The Struggles and Fears About Divorce: Humans of Divorce

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 21, 2019
Post category:Co-Parenting Depression Divorce Drinking Health and Fitness humans of divorce Joy Love Married Life Money Parenting Relationships Self-care Single-Dad Spirituality

When I get in a tough place I try and picture my kid's faces. In the moment I am feeling upset, I can send them a "How's it going, I love you" text. I can SnapChat a silly face.

As Parents: We Do the Walk of Life

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 18, 2019
Post category:Depression Divorce Health and Fitness humans of divorce Joy Love Married Life mindfulness Parenting Relationships self-awareness Self-care Single-Dad Spirituality

That same hope and energy is present in my life, at the moment. I have an abundance of joy to share. Walking through the crowd of people on a beautiful day I could hold each of them in my hopeful prayer.

We Do The Best We Can and Still We Fail: A Marriage Requiem

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 17, 2019
Post category:Co-Parenting Depression Divorce Drinking Love Married Life Money Parenting Relationships Self-care Sex Single-Dad Spirituality

What is a young family to do? How can we learn to turn INTO the relationship rather than AWAY from it? In the nine years since my divorce, I've been writing and examining what went wrong. I've been trying to understand what kind of relationship I might be able to build that would sustain my idea of a lifetime partnership. And I've continued to examine how I could've done better as a partner.

My Love Message: No Worries, Just Desires

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:October 10, 2019
Post category:Co-Parenting Dating Depression Divorce Drinking Health and Fitness Love Married Life Parenting Relationships Self-care Sex Single-Dad Spirituality

And as we ask for and receive the love we need we are also going to have disappointments. My response in life, now, is "No worries, just desires." If my desires start getting squelched or compromised due to continual misses, then it is up to me to speak up.