The Things You Think Of When Growing Up and Getting Older

Creating a healthy relationship with yourself and others leads to a fulfilling life. These prompts are an invitation to step inside yourself. Take a deep breath. Shuffle the deck. Pull a card. Write your heart out. Rupi Kaur

Growing up is not always fun

jealousy was my least favorite one

Sunday was easy, go to church and

eat someone's favorite meal, planned

before we left. It was drawn from a hat.

It was taught it was important to marry

before having grandbabies or be wary!

Rupi Kaur's Relationship Writing Prompts - My view on marriage is ____________________.

My mother could preach better than the priest. And she had certain messages to tell through stories. It would be how it was important to marry before having children as sometimes you don't get to keep them if not married.

Children need a father. Children need their father's name or they get teased. It is a lot of work raising children by yourself. My mother paid for my entire wedding with my first marriage. I thought it was because she wanted me married because of the Catholic religion.

I had moved in with my boyfriend. I was 17, and he was 23 when we married. We were engaged when I was 16 and before I slept with him. Old- fashioned ideas. Not what happens today for many.

Then she had stories about animals that mate for life. Her stories went on and on and on. Then when I was marrying for the third time, she asked me if I was going to be like Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times. I told her, only if I lived long enough. She deserved that remark.

We both laughed. I was first married for 13 years, together for 15, then to my second husband for 10 years, together for 13, and now 20 years, and together for 24 years. I have been married for 43 years to three different men.

Rupi Kaur's Relationship Writing Prompts - Sunday mornings in my childhood home looked like _________________________.

If we wanted our name in the drawing for our favorite meal, we had to go to church. We did have a choice but the competition would get to most of us. Mom was pretty competitive. Until we were older teens, and sleeping in was something we would rather do than eat.

We could all cook by that time so we didn't depend on Mom to feed us. Our mother was an excellent cook. She was a stay-at-home mother raising six kids. She perfected baking especially.

Rupi Kaur's Relationship Writing Prompts - Describe a time you let jealousy get the best of you.

After our children were born, I no longer went out with my husband to parties. I knew that wasn't good for our marriage but he was an alcoholic and addict. I hated my jealousy. There would be fights all of the time that started because of my jealousy. And I had perfected sarcasm.

When I got into a recovery program, my sponsor taught me to look at my character defects and to prepare to have them removed. She said picture a green-eyed monster tearing flesh. Jealousy is referred to as a green-eyed monster. She told me sarcasm means to tear flesh in the Greek language.

It was pretty easy to picture me as a green-eyed monster tearing flesh to be able to let it go. I asked the Great Spirit/God to remove my jealousy and sarcasm and it was removed. It has been 45 or 46 years ago now with no jealousy or sarcasm in my relationships.