Welcome to Rekindle Wednesdays
As Esther Perel, the Belgian Psychotherapist, says,

“The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”

In the coming weeks, each Wednesday, we will share excerpts from our upcoming book launch and online program “Rekindle, Living Without Fear, Loving Without Limits.”

Many thanks to Lucy Martinez and Matt Zemon for assisting with the heavy lifting of the marketing and branding for our program. Lucy and Matt intervened mercifully and saved me from my worst instincts. Kudos to my writing partner and sidekick on this grand adventure, Ms. Anuradha Gandhi.

My husband, Rich Russakoff, deserves all the credit in the world for his consistent, compassionate support and enthusiasm for life, love, and learning.

So what is this Rekindle “stuff” all about?

Relationships are messy and unpredictable. The marriage of 2022 is full of challenges that didn’t exist in 1922. The last 100 years of human history have entirely changed the relationship climate without a clear set of “new rules” to step into.

Modern relationships turn into sinking ships far too often, and the odds can seem stacked against us.

50% of marriages in the USA end in divorce.
60% of second marriages end in divorce.
73% of third marriages end in divorce.

Yikes!

Once upon a time, marriage was the norm for adults in America. But now, for the first time since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking these numbers in 1976, there are more single Americans than married Americans. That is a huge change. About 50.2 percent — or 124.6 million American adults — are single. In 1950, that number was about 22 percent. Today, for many, the companionship provided by a pet replaces spouses. Pets are often described as providing companionship, emotional support, security, or a sense of “home.”

What an odd disconnect. Two of the three top-grossing motion pictures of all time are Titanic, and Avatar, blockbuster films with love stories at the core. Although we are suckers for a great love story, we struggle to create one for ourselves.

This was my problem as well.

The great news is that it is possible to be in intimate contact with another human being and be in harmony with oneself and the other. Hallelujah!
As the saying goes, it is simple but it’s not easy.

The experience of discovering and uncovering what it means to be elastic in a marriage is the blueprint for the Rekindle program. And Rich can certainly testify that we have stretched ourselves in growing into what we share today.

And what we are sharing today is well worth the effort. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as we share more about the challenges and rewards of being in a sustainable renewable relationship full of passion, connection, and romance. It’s delicious.