Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure

For centuries now, mankind has been unable to definitively answer exactly how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Even the great Herodotus, the Greek historian who wrote in the 5th century B.C., 500 years before Christ, and the earliest known chronicler and historian of the Egyptian Pyramid Age, failed. But Herodotus visited the pyramids 2,700 years after they were built and "built" his conclusions on blocks of supposition and hearsay. However, he was a literary tour de force and a genius of the first order, so history tends to forgive him for this hiccup. The fact is, we may never know..which is great for both the myth and tourism.

Usually, with enough time and help from science and technological advancements, there isn't a great deal that remains a mystery to us these days. Which makes it all the more perplexing why the majority of people still find the mind of the opposite sex such an enigma. It remains an amazement to me that we have nailed down complex social structures of animals with no coherent speech, but when it comes to modern day dating and relationship know-how, we are about as knowledgeable as our paleolithic ancestors. So in an effort to finally put to bed the age old questions about understanding the opposite sex and what makes them tic, let's get to demystifying things.

PART I: WHAT WENT WRONG

Who cares! See, things go wrong and get off course all the time, and not just in relationships. You can spend years trying to figure out the impetus/origins of the problem, but then you have a lot of wasted time and what have you gained? For most, the only thing they've gained is a hefty therapy bill and an opportunity for one person to point a finger at the other and say, "See, I told you it was your fault!". Rarely an environment in which to foster trust and communication in your significant other. Enter Father William of Ockham, who wrote "entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity", or more commonly referred to as Occam's Razor and more popularly, but incorrectly, summarized as "the simplest explanation is usually the correct one." Regardless, this theory is precisely the key to turning things around in your current relationship and to understanding the opposite sex. Meaning, stop over complicating the situation and your significant other. At some point you will truly need to sit down with the one you love and communicate. Let me be more specific..communicate, not talk at, which requires you to ACTUALLY be empathetic (if you require an understanding of empathy and good communication skills, then I suggest you Google it or enroll in a night school course). However, for now it is good enough to begin with one simple act/concept to get you well on your way to repairing your current relationship, which for some is easier than others (something my ex girlfriend couldn't manage which is why I happen to know a bit about the subject) and that is...BE SELFISH! No you didn't read that wrong. Before you break things off, drag your significant other kicking and screaming into therapy, postpone the wedding, or enter into yet another verbal tug of war, be selfish. Being selfish in this case refers to you imagining all the things your significant other used to say or do for you that made you feel special, good, happy, like you were the only guy/girl in the world, safe, cared for/about, etc. Now, before you do anything else (that includes having a "talk") start saying and doing all those things to your significant other that felt so good and reassuring to you (obviously not all at once or in one day, unless you want them thinking you've gone round the bend) for the next week. Don't make it obvious and do not act as if you're hoping for or expecting anything in return. If at some point during the week they ask you what's the deal with the sudden niceties, answer/react like it's an everyday occurrence and you really weren't aware of anything different in your manner. DO NOT seize upon the opportunity as an opening to throw your emotional/verbal floodgates open. Skip over it quickly and continue your day/routine as normal or as if nothing happened. If by the end of the week there isn't a noticeable change in your significant other (softened up, started communicating--not necessarily about the current problems--reciprocated some of these gestures, or in some tiny way tried to show you they still care) then it's time to start thinking about sitting down with them and discussing plans for an amicable break. It is human nature to be hurt by someone, and usually deepest by the ones we allow the closest to us. Even so, your bond with your significant other by far supersedes any periodic argument, hurt, anger, frustration you may have towards one another, and thus, when you start showing signs of the bond rather than the hurt, that's when human nature takes over and overrides the more foreign angry feelings and begins to force the loving core you've both developed to show through. NOTE: for some, (especially with guys!!) you may have to be incredibly in-tune with your significant other as they (we) can be stunning examples of reluctance when it comes to letting things go. If your significant other hasn't already broken down and asked to be forgiven or completed a 180* turnaround faster than a navy tail-gunner in a dogfight, then brace yourself because it's coming. If, however, you happen to be affixed to one of the aforementioned knuckledraggers, you most certainly should see a change, but possibly minus the breaking down and begging to talk bit, which is perfectly fine..would you rather be well on your way to relationship bliss and getting to the point where the two of you can discuss wants/needs/boundaries, or is having an all out "I need closure NOW" conversation more important? Regardless of how your situation plays out at the end of the week, there should be marked improvement, and with or without a "big talk" capping the week (I seriously can not stress this enough) DO NOT STOP DOING/SAYING THE THINGS THAT SHOW THEM YOUR LOVE, COMMITMENT, RESPECT, CARING...EVER!

Go right now to your calendar, day planner, phone, the back of your hand where you jot down all your notes, whatever..and mark today's date as "start", then put a big fat star and a "?" at 7 days from today. Not to worry, there are plenty more things I will share with you between now and then that will help you during this week and beyond, but as I said, for now it's enough to start with this single exercise. Lastly, I want to remind you that the key is to act normal and slide these niceties in under the radar, and above all, DO NOT be negative or allow yourself to be pulled into any arguments. Overlook any and ALL negativity completely! After all, they have no clue of your QB substitution. Talk to you very soon.