A man from California contacted me online.  I live in DC. I wrote to him that while he seemed like a great guy, how were we supposed to date being 3,000 miles apart? He wrote and said he was from this area, and he comes back here to take care of his elderly parents frequently.  So, we started emailing back and forth like crazy and then talking on the phone.  After about six weeks, he said he was coming back here to see me and see his parents, in that order. We met and hit it off immediately. We saw each other several times during that visit. When he went back to San Diego, we continued emailing and calling. He came back here about two months later and again we had a great time together. I was falling in love, and from everything he said and did, the feeling was mutual. I thought a miracle had happened. This went on for almost a year. Then, he said he had something very serious to tell me the next time he saw me. Turned out to be that he is MARRIED.  I WAS FLABBERGASTED!!!!

Planetary highlights for December:  Mercury stationed retrograde on November 24^th and will be moving backwards until December 13^th. If you have to sign any contracts, it’s a good idea to wait until after the 12^th. When Mercury is retrograde it’s a good time to RE-think, RE-organize, RE-do, RE….you get the idea. But wait until Mercury goes direct before you put any of those plans in action – if you want them to actually last that is! Now is a good time to back up your computers (you know this has been on your to do list for months anyway!) and maybe hold off on that serious convo you were thinking of having with your new partner. Since Mercury rules communication, in all forms, it’s not uncommon for things to be misunderstood. So perhaps it’s a good idea to wait on telling your new honey that you bought those Louboutins or that 72” TV….instead of that vacation you both have been talking about…just sayin…

We human beings like to think that we are the masters of our destiny – that we are able to shape the circumstances of our lives. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. We may be under stress because of our financial circumstances. We may not be satisfied with where we are in our professional lives.  We may experience hurt (intentional or accidental) at the hands of others – even those we love. We experience disappointment when things that seemed promising at first do not turn out the way we had hoped. We may be lacking that special relationship that we so deeply desire. Our future may be uncertain. While all of this may seem a little bleak – it is all just a part of the reality of life – some of the ups and downs that make up a very human existence.

Dear Matchmaker Rabbi,

I met someone who seemed interested but before we had the chance to meet, I was asked very directly if I would be willing to relocate. My response was, “Not sure as we hardly know each other,” and then I was told, “My time is very valuable.” So, while still agreeing to meet him, I let him know if he could not make the appointment we had set to please let me know. And so he did try to reach me and left a cell phone message. I was left with the option to meet very briefly on a work day when it appeared more convenient for him. Very disappointing encounter, and we never met.

-Discouraged

Spatchcocking is easy and takes only a few minutes and either a very sharp knife or really good kitchen shears. While the process is simple and easy, the time saved in cooking equals big payback. Because the turkey is butterflied, the heat is more evenly distributed, and a 12 pound turkey will take about 1 ½ hours to roast versus a whole turkey, which will take over 3 hours to roast. A spatchocked chicken takes about 30 minutes to roast, while a whole chicken takes an hour.

What does it mean to live transformationally? At its heart, this idea is related to one of the greatest gifts that we as humans possess: The ability to perceive and envision greatness in others and in the world as a whole.

In essence, living transformationally means being able to hold a vision of the people around us and the world we are in and live out of that vision. Doing so – and doing so effectively – enables that vision of greatness to emerge in others and in the world as a whole. As more and more of us live this way, the world becomes transformed – both because of who we are and because of the effects that we produce all around us.

5 THINGS WE ARE TOO OLD FOR
Age gracefully.  This old saw has been cutting into our psyche for generations.  We are supposed to age like a ballerina, tiptoeing through the pasture.  Lovely snow-white hair lifts …

People join online dating sites for many reasons: To find an activity partner, a friend, a date, a long-term relationship, marriage, or marriage and children.  JDate is even nice enough to lay out all of these choices side-by-side for us.  All it takes is the click of a button or two to list what we’d like to find in our online dating adventure.  Curiously enough, “pen pal” is not an option.  In fact, nothing of the sort is listed – not “letter-writer,” “someone to keep me occupied at work,” or “e-mail buddy.”  Nope – it’s just not a choice.  Why?  Because people do not join online dating sites to simply e-mail back and forth.  People are looking to form a relationship, not an e-lationship.

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and instead of the usual pumpkin pie, try this delicious, lightly cinnamon-scented cake.

This is my favorite pumpkin cake. It is versatile and can be baked into layers, a loaf pan, or cupcakes.

There are men who manage to go through their entire dating lives without stress, anxiety, failure, offending anyone or being offended, rejecting anyone or being rejected, without encountering even one dating dilemma or disaster. They, instead, have smooth, successful, joyous, passionate, love-filled, worry-free dating lives without incident. Do such men really exist? Yes! Do they truly have such idyllic dating lives? Indeed they do. Can you find them on JDate? Sadly, no. Then, who are these men? Well, as it turns out, they’re called — fictitious characters. You’ll find them in books, plays, TV shows and movies, but you certainly won’t find them in real life because they are fantasy figures, much like Zeus, Harry Potter, or a viable Presidential candidate.