I walk into the small, organic Bodega in my neighborhood. A few of us are chatting about my column. A man that I have never met before turns towards me and remarks, “Marriages end because someone in the relationship is selfish.”

I exit the store and make my way to my car.

In time, I find myself sitting before my computer. I sift through a few texts.

There from someone who has been reading my column are a few poignant lines.

“I believe for a marriage and family life to be successful you have to put your spouse and family’s needs before yours. When I have had issues in the past it is usually because I was being selfish.”

I am a writer. Words have huge significance for me.

However, there are also times when less is more. There are times when what seems complex is actually quite simple.

I tell my children, even in friendship, that a relationship is a ‘relay.’ That it must be  perpetual back and forth giving in order for it to prosper.

Is your relationship a ‘relay?’