Columns...

Newspaper columns - I love them. Lewis Grizzard, Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry, Art Buchwald, are some of my favorites. I enjoy the small Hollywood columns - just to take a small peek into that world. Ann Landers was one I read every day - an advice column. I loved it.

I own her book "Wake up and smell the coffee!" A collection of her favorite columns.

Here is something found in one of her columns and found in the beginning chapters of her book:
All of the below are her words...not mine. (I added the (her)..but it is rich in wisdom)They say so much.


Have you ever wonder "Am I in love, or is this just infatuation?" This might help you know the difference......"


Infatuation is instant desire. It is one set of glands calling to another. Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows-one day at a time.

Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity.
You are excited and eager but not genuinely happy. There are nagging doubts, unanswered questions, little bits and pieces about your beloved that you would just as soon not examine too closely. It might spoil the dream.

Love is quiet understanding and the mature acceptance of imperfections. It is real. It gives you strength and grows beyond you - to bolster your beloved. You are warmed by his (her) presence, even when he (she) is away. Miles do not separate you. You want him (her) nearer. But near or far, you know he (she) is yours and you can wait.

Infatuation says "We must get married right away. I can't risk losing him (her)."

Love says "Be patient. Don't panic. Plan your future with confidence."

Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement. It you are honest, you will admit it difficult to be in one another's company unless you are sure it will end in intimacy. Love is maturation of friendship. You must be friends before you can be lovers.

Infatuation lacks confidence. You are calm, secure and unthreatened. He (she) feels that trust, and it makes him (her) more trustworthy.

Infatuation might lead you to do things you'll regret later, but love never will.

Love is an upper. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person than you were before.