I am embarrassed to admit it but I was curious. There was an article about ways women pursue the perfect body. It did not even explore archaic practices which horrify me, like foot binding. But there were "waist trainers" which are rebranded corsets, and botox, spray on tanning paints, and hair extensions. There was even mention of floating your feet in a tank of tiny fish who will chew off your callouses. 

While I have no desire to criticize people for investing in their bodies, I wonder if they go to such great lengths to please themselves, or to conform to an ever illusive and unrealistic mirage. 

As a marriage educator I get plenty of ads for relationships enhancements. Some are easily accessed, like a downloadable book. Others are pricey, and entail a mammoth investment of time and money. Apparently people sign up for them, as the ads keep rolling in. I did talk to one husband who said he spent forty grand on counseling. Sadly, the marriage still crumbled. 

Tony Robbins has helped couples make seismic changes in their relationships in a short time. We watched him in action at a SmartMarriages Conference. I was impressed. There are half a dozen videos of his counseling sessions on my shelves, in which he helps couples crack open. They will be on the library lending table at the conference in February. One trick he tried was to send a couple to live in a homeless shelter for two weeks. Astonishingly, the experience pivoted how they depended on one another, how they valued their home, their jobs, their children. They never again talked of divorce. 

It is not my place to tell people when and if to marry, or to stay married. But I sure am willing to support them.