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"Today, when I was alone in the house, I did something decadent. First I made sure it was charged up. It was. I felt a bit awkward as I stroked the handle. But then I picked it up. As I fondled it, I took some deep breaths. Before long, I was panting. Then I was lightly sweating in eager anticipation. My heart raced as I got closer and closer to my goal. Soon enough, I landed the big O. Oh, yeah, baby... I left a message for Oprah&amp;#039;s O&amp;#039; Magazine. When it was over I let out a sigh of relief and hung up the phone. For some people it&amp;#039;s not a big deal to run after their dreams. And most times, it&amp;#039;s not a huge issue for me either. But when I don&amp;#039;t know who will be waiting at the other end of the line... when I&amp;#039;m unsure if I&amp;#039;ll get my pitch out or if I&amp;#039;ll start stuttering about coupons, menopause and our cracked recycling bin that the city has yet to replace... it can be a bit daunting. And yet, I am tired of these ideas swirling in my mind. Some call it OCD, I call it a literary fountain of pitches. Some call it &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re a nutbar&amp;quot; I call it &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m ready to write magazine articles!&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s time to act. If I don&amp;#039;t do it, who will? Today&amp;#039;s little adventure was a good reminder that if I can ask a total stranger - a multimedia corporate giant stranger - to listen to my voice, why don&amp;#039;t I remember to ask my husband? Is it because Rex has disappointed me in the past? Is it because, like a woman I met in the mall the other day who confided her marital issues to me, I&amp;#039;m too exhausted from my children and my work to even consider what my mate might do to support me? I&amp;#039;d be lying if I didn&amp;#039;t say that a portion of both examples rings true in my life. I think if we&amp;#039;re honest, all of us can admit that the ones we trust the most are the ones that have potential to hurt us the greatest. It might seem easier to let a stranger we don&amp;#039;t know reject us. But our husbands? That is far too painful. Rex has most certainly disappointed me in my life, but when I do the footwork to remind him of what is most important - not the trivial things in life like flowers or cards (though those are lovely) - but the true, honest-to-goodness, &amp;#039;What Andrea needs to feel emotionally connected things&amp;quot; stuff - I am rarely disappointed. My marriage doesn&amp;#039;t have to be so hard. It can be as simple as a conversation. John Gray, a favorite relationship coach of mine, talks about some very simple strategies for men and women to connect here. I&amp;#039;m keeping this short tonight. Rex has had a rough day, and I have a hankering for a chocolate bar. I&amp;#039;m thinking a run to Arco for a little treat would do us both some good. It&amp;#039;s not exactly the same as achieving the &amp;quot;big O&amp;quot; together, but it&amp;#039;s a release both of us desperately need. And, like my phone call earlier today, sometimes a gal has to go after what she wants. How is everyone out there? It&amp;#039;s been quiet lately! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a3051/achieving-the-big-o/>