I recently read an interesting book about relationships - How to be an Adult in Relationship - The Five Keys to Mindful Loving by David Richo. In summary, the author states that we need five A's from our relationships - attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and "allowing" (the freedom to live in accord with our deepest needs and wishes). These aspects of love are the building blocks of identity and our human personality.
According to Richo, we need these elements in our childhood, we seeks them in our adult relationships, and then we give them to the world through our spiritual practice. Richo is a psychotherapist and teaches all over the country, including Escalen Institute in Big Sur. While the book had a heavy emphasis on our spirituality, I pulled out several great quotes that I am looking forward to sharing here.
