Need Help With Love?

We all want to fall in love and find someone who will be our friend, lover, and helper in life. But finding that person is much easier said than done. Even after finding your soul mate, there can be bumps along the way. Love is never easy, and everyone needs a little help now and then. But where do you turn when you need help with love?

Most people turn to their friends for help with love. Friends, especially close friends, can provide an outside look at our relationship. Sometimes they see what’s wrong when we can’t because we’re too close to the situation. Even when they don’t do this, friends can provide insight into relationships and advice based on their own experiences. And if all else fails, they’re a shoulder to cry on (or eat ice cream with).

Family, especially our parents, is also fairly experienced with love and can hand out advice as needed. They have years of experience dealing with love and relationships, and again, they often have an outside view on things that we simply can’t get.

But both friends and family are going to be somewhat biased, and we often need an outside view. Outsiders can give us a help with love by giving us the flat out truth, whether or not we want it. But where can we find someone who is truly unbiased? It’s very difficult. Some people turn to co-workers, but it can be uncomfortable discussing something as personal as your love life with them. Others turn to books on relationships. The problem here is that while these books can help us with love, they’re also written for a wide audience. Often, your specific circumstances don’t quite fit with anything in the books.

So you need a personal touch. Where can you find it? In some areas, there are radio shows that take calls and give out advice. However, even if you use a different name, your voice and your problems are going out to everyone listening. That may not be exactly what you want! In that case, you can write in to columns like Dear Abby. Unfortunately, she gets a lot of letters every day, and it may take her weeks or even months to get around to giving you some love advice! That’s no good, either.

So where can you turn for an unbiased opinion that’s also personal? It’s difficult to find good love advice these days! There are some places, however. Some people feel comfortable talking about such things with their hairdressers. Others might decide to chat up random people on the subway or the bus (which may not be fun for you if you’re one of these random people!). If you’re ordering flowers, maybe your florist has some good romance tips.

Love advice can come from many different places, but it’s always best when it comes from someone with good intentions. Strangers might not always have your best interests at heart—they may just want to get on with their day! While friends and family might always take your side and self-help books don’t always apply, a balance of both may be the best thing there is. Of course, your gut can give you good love advice, too—if the relationship feel right (or wrong), follow up on these instincts.

And always listen to your florist! :)

Flowers Give Your Spirit a Lift

Are you feeling down? If so, finding something to give your spirit a lift might be a bit difficult. Flowers, however, almost always lift the spirit a bit. Imagine seeing a bright, beautiful bouquet of flowers on your desk when you walk into work. Doesn’t that make you feel great? Knowing that someone thought enough of you to send you flowers can really give you a nice confidence boost.

Flowers can lift our spirits in other ways, too. The bright, cheery colors can turn any dreary room into a happy place. Adding color to your office or to a dark room by using fresh flowers is a really nice way to completely change the atmosphere of an area.

Scent is another way flowers lift the spirit. By inhaling the great smell of roses or any other flower, you feel refreshed. Scent is a powerful memory trigger, too. Perhaps smelling roses will remind you of the flowers you received on last Valentine’s Day or on your anniversary.

But you probably don’t have fresh flowers on your desk every day to lift your spirits. How, then, can you use flowers to give you a little boost? Well, as the saying goes, take time to stop and smell the roses! If you have flowers at home, spend a few minutes each day tending to them. You might also pass by flowers on the way to work—outside the office building or in the reception area. These flowers may be out of sight most of the time, but just take note of them when you walk in and let their uplifting colors stay with you the rest of the day.

The Joy of Making Someone Smile

You’ve heard people say that smiling can make everything better, but is that always true? Well, the fact is that there is a lot of joy in making someone else smile. Just give it a try and you’ll see. So how do you go about making someone smile? It’s pretty simple—a compliment, a little gift, or just a smile and a “hello” can do the trick.

Why is there joy is making someone else smile? It all has to do with making someone feel good. People just like to see that others are happy. Knowing that you’ve done something to make another person at least smile can mean a lot. You’ve affected someone’s mood, and that means the other person must at least have noticed you.

Making someone else smile is a gift for both the other person and for you. If you’re ever in a bad mood, having someone smile at you is a great way of lifting you out of that mood. If you carry that happiness on and smile at someone else, you’ll pass it along. Think of the chain reaction of joy you can start with just a simple smile!

Making someone smile seems like such a little thing, but it can completely turn someone’s day around. The next time you see someone, smile at them and watch their eyes light up. You’ll be glad you did.

Summer Birthday Party Ideas

Do you have a birthday in the summer? Maybe your spouse, children, or friends do. If you’re in charge of planning a summer birthday, here are some great party ideas.

Have a cookout.

Have a picnic at a local park. This is especially great for kids’ parties.

Go play miniature golf.

Go to a water park or fun park.

Camp out, even if it’s just in your back yard.

If you have a pool, invite your friends and family over for a swim, or just hang out around the pool.

For a kid’s party, break out the sprinklers or other water toys. Kids love getting wet when it’s hot outside.

Instead of cake, get an ice cream cake or have an ice cream sundae bar. Snow cones can also be a fun dessert, especially if you have a small home snow cone maker. You can get different flavors of syrup and lets guests pick their favorite.

Above all, do something that keeps you and your guests out of the heat. While outdoor activities can be fun, don’t head outdoors if you’re seeing temperatures in the three digits.