Articles written by Terry Donelson

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About me - Terry Donelson

Hi, I'm Terry. I have been happily married to my best friend, Rhonda, for twenty-five years. We have three grandchildren even though we are way too young to be grandparents. Hey, nobody asked us!

I live in a mid-sized city in central Texas and have, with

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Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles Is it better to live in the city or the country?: 1 of 115
Having no particular use for noisy, inconsiderate and intrusive neighbors, street lights shining in my window at night, the sound of screaming sirens, and teenager's boom boxes rattling my windows at all hours, I would have to say that my definite preference is to live in the country. Being a practical person, however, I wou... More..
Relationships & Family > Married Life Is sharing housework between husbands and wives the key to successful marriages?: 2 of 59
Being a child of divorce at any age is seldom a good thing. If, however, there is any truth to the old saying Every cloud has a silver lining, my silver lining is that I learned, by living the bachelor life with my father following my parent's divorce, to do laundry, clean, and, to a certain degree, cook. I was fifteen year... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: The perfect first date: 1 of 15
My best and most memorable first date was in the summer of 1983 and was with the woman I am still married to today. Rhonda and I worked together for just under a year. I was, in fact, her supervisor and to this day tell people that this was the last time I ever got to be the boss. We were both married to other people at th... More..
Relationships & Family > Married Life Who should lead the family.: 2 of 13
There's a classic line in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the daughter is soliciting her mother's assistance with convincing her father to accept her non-Greek fianc. The mother tells her daughter It's true that your father is the head of the household, but I am the neck; and as the neck, I can turn the head in any ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Party Politics & Ideology Role of faith in politics: 7 of 42
At one point of his bid to be Texas' governor in 2006, Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman, one of the state's undeniably more colorful characters, was asked his position on the legalization of gay marriage. His response was "gay people should have the right to be just as miserable as the rest of us." While I would argue that not al... More..
Relationships & Family > Friendship Drama & Issues Dealing with a platonic friendship: 5 of 29
CAN MEN AND WOMEN BE FRIENDS? The first thought that comes to my mind when asked this question is: Define friends. For the purpose of this discussion, and for the sake of simplicity, let's start by defining friendship as a strictly platonic relationship. Is such a relationship possible? There is no doubt in my mind ... More..
Relationships & Family > Friendship Drama & Issues How sex between friends changes the dynamics of the friendship: 2 of 11
If one does not feel he or she can have sex with a friend, my question would have to be - then just who do you feel you can or should have sex with - a person you don't especially care for? I don't even want to share a meal with someone I don't like. "No" is of course the common response. "One should only have sex with someo... More..
Relationships & Family > Dating Dilemmas How to survive a long distance relationship: 7 of 31
Not only can a long distance romantic relationship work; depending largely upon the personality types of the parties involved and on how often you are able to and/or want to be together, it can actually thrive. For a brief period of time, my wife and I worked in different cities but were only an 1 1/2 hour drive apart. For t... More..
Relationships & Family > Tips for Marital Happiness Married life: How alone time can benefit your relationship: 8 of 30
There seems to be a trend these days among many married and/or cohabitating couples in opting for living arrangements with separate but adjoining master suites. My wife and I recently looked at a very upscale, under construction town home with separate master bedrooms, a very large, shared walk-in closet, and a shared bathroo... More..
Relationships & Family > Romance & Sexuality One-night stands: 7 of 26
When I read or hear about one night stands, my initial response is always Why? Granted, I am now what many would refer to as an old dog that no longer plays the game anyway; I am far, however, from being a prude. I was in my sexual prime during the seventies and eighties for god's sake; when everybody, to include myself, w... More..