David Gray's Interpretation of Love

In his song, Please Forgive Me, David Gray writes:

"Please forgive me if I act a little strange
For I know not what I do
Feels like lightning running through my veins
Every time I look at you
Every time I look at you

Help me out here
All my words are falling short
And there’s so much I want to say
Want to tell you just how good it feels
When you look at me that way
When you look at me that way

Throw a stone and watch the ripples flow
Moving out across the bay
Like a stone I fall into your eyes
Deep into some mystery
Deep into that mystery

I got half a mind to scream out loud
I got half a mind to die
So I won't ever have to lose you girl
Won't ever have to say goodbye
I won't ever have to lie
Won't ever have to say goodbye

Yeah na na na na
Yeah na na na na

Please forgive me if I act a little strange
For I know not what I do
It's like my head is filled with lightning, girl
Every time I look at you
Every time I look at you
Every time I look at you
Every time I look at you"

Isn't it wonderful when a man expresses emotions! Food for thought gentlemen...

The Value of Friendship

Connections with others and the love exchanged in key relationships bring the greatest sense of meaning into our lives. We cannot begin to place a dollar value on the power another has to make us laugh or bring us joy.

It is in relationships with friends and loved ones where energy flourishes, illuminating our paths in life. When you feel good, everything is in sync. There is great wisdom in this emotional connection…joy is letting your heart lead the way.

Always embrace the blessing of friendship and never take its value for granted.

Love, Sacrifice and Self-Destruction

Love and happiness are the basis of life. Love is a celebration of one's own values embodied in another person. Romantic love is being able to see oneself reflected in the response of another. When in love, we are willing to do anything for another.

Love; however, is not about self-sacrifice. Love is not about giving up oneself, but expanding oneself. To mutually benefit, should be the guiding principle of all relationships. Self-sacrifice, or should I say, self-destruction, is detrimental to any altruistic relationship.

Once a relationship has run its course, is staying for the sake of the other really worth foregoing your happiness?

Building Trust

From a relationship with a co-worker to a marriage, everything is built on trust. Trust affects how we see the world, how safe we feel and how we approach new people and situations. It affects whether we’re willing to go the extra mile for a friend, relative, co-worker or even someone we’ve never met, but with whom we do business. When trust levels are high, we feel comfortable and accepted. When trust levels are low, we feel cautious and on edge.

A few tips on building trust in personal and professional relationships are…

Keep it confidential
Strong relationships are developed by being a trustworthy listener. When someone confides in you or shares personal information, don’t share it with others.

Keep your promises and follow through with commitments
When you keep your promises and follow through with commitments,

you show that you care, you’re reliable and that you can be counted on in the future.

Forgive and move on
To build trusting relationships, you must be able to forgive and move on. Let go of old arguments, resentments and issues from the past.

Communicate openly and honestly
You must be willing to communicate openly, honestly and freely, and to share your ideas, thoughts and concerns.

Learn to recognize whom to trust
The unfortunate fact is that not everyone can be trusted. Use your instincts, good judgment and interactions with people to determine whether or not someone can be trusted. If you feel uncomfortable, take time to figure out why you feel this way.

Always remember...to trust others, we need to be able to trust ourselves.

Character or Reputation

Seeing these two words together, we often mistakenly believe that you cannot have one without the other. Reputation is what others think of us. It is the opinion held by others concerning who we are and the motives they believe we have in doing what we do. We can have a "good" reputation, or a "bad" reputation. However, we must realize that both are relative. A reputation, good or bad, is only in the eye of the beholder.

Much more valuable is our character. Character is who we are when no one is looking. It is not just the face in the mirror, but the "face behind the face". A person with impeccable character remains rock solid when standing in the face of false accusations, insinuations, slander and ridicule. Even though the hurt is real, despair and depression cannot take hold and bring them to defeat.

Reputations come and go. Character will hold you through the storms. Develop character and you will never have regrets.