The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

So, I saw a Facebook post today which aired a video clip of a guy reading a poem he had written about always being cast as the "nice guy" or in the "friend-zone" among the women he had been interested in either romantically or sexually. The guy said that if a man (a "nice guy" apparently) purchased a woman a gift in hopes that she would sleep with him in return, she didn't owe him anything. While I agree a woman never owes a guy sex, this video sparked a more elaborate debate on the whole "nice guy" concept and who exactly would be at fault if such a guy gets taken advantage of in any way. Here's what I had to say on the matter: "The only thing women owe 'nice guys' is honesty. If he shows romantic interest in her or perhaps buys her something to indicate this, it's on her to be upfront with him and say, 'This was really sweet, but just so you know, I only see you as a friend.'  If she says this and he co...

Up until September 12th of 2003, I was known within my family and circle(s) of friends as the listener, the advice-giver, in other words, the shrink. When someone was having problems, I was the one to write, see or call. The frequency and overall quantity of such occasions declined quite drastically following the before-mentioned date. After that date, I learned that while it's nice to be there for family and friends and to help as much as is possible, it's not good to partake in these activities so regularly that one loses track of their own needs and wants. That's what happened prior to September 12th, 2003. I put all my friends and family before myself and I wound up losing track of who I was, who I wanted to be and what I needed and wanted. After that date, I finally learned to look after myself first and foremost and to not let friends and family use me for constant listening and advice and/or typecast me as the counselor. In time, I've been able to weed out mo...

Sacrifice and compromise are two words that immediately come to mind when asking the question, what will one do for love? We all need to make sacrifices in order to make a relationship work. Whether it be to give up smoking, because the person whom one is with suffers from asthma or missing a critical episode of "CSI" one has been waiting to see all week, because their boyfriend or girlfriend has had a dreadful day and needs some company. Compromise is a key word when it comes to relationships, because if two people aren't willing to come to a middle area where they can both be somewhat satisfied, then it's going to create for many arguments and fights. If the gal is in the mood for a romance and the guy is in the mood for an action flick, perhaps they can come to a compromise on a comedy. If one wants to go out to eat on a nice spring afternoon and the other wants to head to a park for a walk, perhaps they can compromise and have a picnic. But how far will one ...