Author: kirklandc008@gmail.com

My book, ARE RELATIONSHIPS FOR SUCKERS, is gaining momentum — Finalist for a Global Book Award amassing glowing 5-star reviews from professional reviewers at Readers’ Favorite and readers alike.Check this review out:“5 Stars — Congratulations on your 5-star review! Get your free 5-star seal!Reviewed by Kamil Wróbel for Readers’ FavoriteBelle Gayer’s Are Relationships For Suckers? delivers a heart-to-heart roadmap designed to help people navigate the complex world of long-term romance. She takes thousands of real-world internet questions and shapes them into a guide that targets why popular dating tips fail so miserably. Instead of buying into the idea of a…

“Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean me first; it means me too.” ~L.R. Knost We live in a society that celebrates pushing through; burnout is often worn as a badge of honor, and many job descriptions state bluntly, “Must be able to perform well under pressure and thrive in a fast-paced environment.” I’m very well aware that self-care isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. “You can’t pour from an empty cup” and “You must put on your own oxygen mask first before assisting others” are two of the most well-known quotes. And while they might sound like a cliché, they are definitely…

Harry Jowsey is done trying to find love on TV. However, before he officially calls it quits, the 29-year-old is making one final attempt on his new Netflix show, Let’s Marry Harry. “I’m almost 30, so if I’m being wild on dating shows in my 30s, I’ve got to go get some serious therapy,” he says of retiring from the genre. “I want to be married and have kids.”On Jowsey’s show, premiering Aug. 5, he’ll be looking for his perfect match — for real this time — among 20 women. He’s enlisted the help of his best friend Amanda Kloots,…

Many people have a book that changes their life. For me and my wife, one book in particular changed our destinies for ever. We have been in love since we were teenagers, and today we are happily married – all because I accidentally discovered a forbidden novel in someone else’s house.It was a hot summer’s evening in 2009, in Kumul, Xinjiang. I was 16 and my father insisted I accompany him to visit a distant relative, where they would spend hours chatting about the old days and feasting as if they hadn’t eaten in years. As the well-behaved teenager I…

Press enter or click to view image in full size“Rasanya lebih buruk dari mimpi buruk, karena kamu terus melanjutkan hari dengan rasa itu. Rasanya ingin mengakhiri sesuatu dalam diri. Namun, bagaimana? Sebab semuanya juga perlahan-lahan berakhir di dalam sini,” ucapmu tiba-tiba saat aku baru sampai.Kuperhatikan wajahmu. Kulit yang cerah dengan bibir pink pucat, tersenyum pasrah melihatku datang.Entah ke mana perginya binar matamu yang sore kemarin kulihat nampak sangat berbinar. Tawamu yang lepas saat kita menghabiskan waktu sore hari di taman kota, sawah, dan tempat permainan anak.“Aku nggak tahu apa yang terjadi dengan dirimu, tapi aku tahu kamu sedang melawan keabsurdan.…

When most people hear the word “prenup” (short for prenuptial agreement), they often imagine wealthy couples signing over documents that protect homes, businesses and family money before they get married.But family law attorneys say the most valuable thing in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement is often not a particular asset but the conversation behind it.“The misconception [about a prenup] is that it’s about what a lawyer needs to see in the documents,” said Claudia Cobreiro, a Miami-based family law attorney and founder of Cobreiro Law. “[Rather] it’s about what the client wants the prenup or the postnup to do for…

Let’s get one thing straight: the phrase “blood is thicker than water” is not a biological fact dressed up as folk wisdom. It’s ideology wearing a lab coat. It sounds like chemistry. It functions like propaganda.Here’s what nobody tells you: nobody actually agrees on where the phrase came from, but one of the more interesting theories is medieval. Soldiers swearing blood oaths to their brothers-in-arms, not their brothers-by-birth. Which means the phrase may have originally meant almost the exact opposite of what we use it for now. It celebrated chosen bonds over accidental ones. Somewhere along the way, someone flipped…

“Trauma creates change you don’t choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.” ~Michelle Rosenthal” Today I am sitting in my favorite café in Venice Mall. I got my favorite seat, the one near the water. I have spent countless hours here. I have cried here. Journaled here. Drawn here. Consoled myself here. There was a time when this café felt like my only refuge from a life that felt too heavy to carry. Today I am sitting in the same seat, drinking the same tea, looking at the same water. And for the first time, I realized something.…

You send your partner a text. Hours pass without a reply.Logically, you know they’re probably busy. But emotionally, your brain starts spinning. Are they upset with you? Did you do something wrong? Do they still love you?Most people have moments like this from time to time. But for many people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), those feelings can be much more intense, and may be tied to something often referred to as emotional permanence.Emotional permanence is a non-clinical term used to describe the ability to hold on to the feeling that someone loves, values or cares about you even when they…

It hurts more because I know, deep down, I’m the one who planted this seed of doubt in myself. I’m the one who keeps whispering:You don’t deserve love.You’re not enough.You’re broken.You’re too emotional, too messy, too unstable.I keep listing every crack and flaw inside me, convincing myself that love is a luxury I can’t afford. That unless I become “someone” — successful, accomplished, flawless — I don’t deserve to be seen, cherished, nurtured.I see myself like a tiny banyan sprout, struggling in dry soil. Sometimes wilting, sometimes managing a fragile green bloom. Too small, too weak to offer anyone shelter…