Reader wants to help friend in exhausting relationship
Aries (March 21-April 19) Your ability to get through the seemingly impossible allows you to gain leverage. Financial and emotional ties are up for discussion. Taurus (April 20-May 20) A significant other might be more flexible than usual if you approach him or her in a caring way. Disagreements have emerged before, and you found solutions. Gemini (May 21-June 20) Others want to be in control, but you have a good grasp on a personal matter and how it would be best handled. Open up to new beginnings with a key person. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your creativity has an effect on a key issue involving a loved one. Be willing to give this person space, as he or she seems to be transforming. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Your resourcefulness helps you to clear up quite a few problems. A creative suggestion will be well-received. Someone loves to share news with you. This year you are grounded at times and emotional at others. You recognize the importance of allowing your feelings to flow. You know that what you feel now could be very different, given some time. If you are single, you meet people with ease in your day-to-day travels. You might attract someone who wants to be right all the time. Feel free to move on, if need be. If you are attached, the two of you spend many happy hours together. Your change in attitude makes your interactions warmer and more caring. SAGITTARIUS has many moneymaking ideas for you.
What the stars Mean Dynamic Positive Average So-so Difficult
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Your words carry weight, so try not to exaggerate or add too much inflection. Your caring might be very important to someone in your personal life. If you feel lucky, buy a lottery ticket. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
You could feel as if you can’t get past a problem. Be more forthright in your dealings than you have been. You are rarely blunt, but that type of clarity might get better results right now. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You are on a roll, and others will find it nearly impossible to stop you. Give people the space they need to express their needs. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You could be tired of proceeding as you have been every day. Someone will charm you beyond belief, and you are likely to find out more about this person as a result. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pleasant interactions between associates and friends might be more important than you realize. An appealing option could appear from out of the blue. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) A friendship could be on its last leg. Your ability to get past a problem will encourage others to come toward you. News from a loved one delights you. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Reach out to someone who might be a bit under the weather. This person usually takes care of everyone else; give him or her the luxury of that same experience, and he or she will remember it for a long time. Jacqueline Bigar is at www.jacquelinebigar.com. Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Dear Annie: I have a wonderful group of friends. We all met working together at a restaurant about seven years ago, just out of college. We’ve really grown up with one another. Two of them are a couple, “Ryan” and “Christine.” I love both of them to death, but in all honesty, Christine behaves ridiculously sometimes and is just not nice.
A perfect example: We recently rented a beach house for the weekend, in part to celebrate Christine’s birthday. On our first night, we had a barbecue. As we were eating, Ryan reached over and forked a couple of pieces of chicken. Christine scoffed and said, “Are you kidding? It’s my birthday, and you’re just going to take food off my plate without asking?!” Seriously? We were all embarrassed for Ryan and just blown away at how stupid the situation had become.
Now, we’re all used to these Christine-isms. She means well. As friends, we’re all able to just not pay attention to those moments or confront her if she’s downright mean. But we know they have been talking about getting engaged. We see how Ryan looks tired these days. He is truly in love with her, but it seems as if he’s exhausted from the relationship. My question is: Should one of us say something to him about it?
— Holding Our Breath
Dear Holding: Keep holding your breath, because you’d probably be better off passing out than getting in the middle of relationship problems. Your heart is in the right place, and it’s great Ryan and Christine have friends who care about their well-being. This kind of support will help them have a successful marriage if and when they decide to take that step.
Whoever is closest with Ryan can open up a general, judgment-free dialogue (e.g., “So, how is everything going with you and Christine?”) so he feels comfortable talking about any concerns. Likewise, Christine’s closest friends might encourage her to work on her temper. But stop short of telling either of them what to do in the relationship, lest you end up taking the heat.