Does thinking about your half-orange make you want to sing? Well, it sure made singer-songwriter Casey Dinkin want to. She wrote me a note explaining,
“I am a singer-songwriter and I recently wrote a song called La Media Naranja (My Better Half), about orange halves in love.”
Clearly, I have to share it with you!
As she sings: “If they make cocktails with you, they’d better squeeze me in there, too.”
Aw. I couldn’t agree more.
—Amy
Last week, my half-orange Gustavo and I hit Art Basel in Miami. Not only was it a weekend full of fabulous art shows, but look! I found my other half-orange right in the middle of the Convention Center…
Amy Spencer and her "half-orange" at Art Basel, Miami (2011)
HA. I haven’t seen an orange-half I haven’t liked. Here’s to the art of finding yours.
—Amy
I have to hand it to author Jenna McCarthy, the scribe behind If It Was Easy, They’d Cal the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon. She’s not only hilarious (check out the funny trailer for her book), but she’s also brave and wise.
How do I know this? Because she recently gave a speech about “How to Live Happily Ever After” for a TED conference in front of a packed house (brave) that was full of smart and surprising advice on how to be happily married. And even wiser? In talking about how to find the right partner to marry, she featured my book cover for Meeting Your Half-Orange in her speech! (Pay attention at the 9:20 mark).
I’ve picked up a few tips from Jenna’s speech, which is why I’m going to buy my husband some really fattening cookies today. Watch her talk and you’ll learn why that’s just one of a few fabulous ideas for living happily ever after. Here’s the video—find a free 11 minutes (oh, let’s be honest, now is just perfect) and enjoy!
—Amy
What do you do when you’re a single parent and you get asked out by someone who doesn’t want to get married and have more kids like you do?
Well, if you’re Christine Coppa, who wrote about her recent dating experience in a new post for Parenting.com, you tell him you’re not interested. What do I think of her move? Find out:
Read her story, a shout-out for Meeting Your Half-Orange and my expert take on it all as a relationship optimist!
—Amy
I have to say “Thank you” to a Meeting Your Half-Orange reader named Blanca who sent me this cute note:
I am Spanish and on Facebook I’m always adding new fan pages to my profile that I find funny. So, two of them, which have quite a lot of fans are:
1. Me temo que con mi media naranja alguien se ha hecho un zumo
2. Mientras encuentro a mi media naranja, voy comiendo mandarinas
They mean:
1. I’m afraid that with my half orange, someone has make himself an orange juice.
2. Until I find my half orange, I’ll be eating tangerines.
To Blanca, I love them! You know why? Because to the rest of us, it’s a great reminder that while searching for a half-orange in life, it’s important to have a good sense of humor about it all. I mean, what else can keep you going through all the so-so dates and online dating flops? Laugh about it! And pour yourself some O.J. You gotta get your sweet tooth satisfied somehow.
—Amy
We’ve all heard about some big, well-planned proposals: the ones on the big screen at the baseball game, or captured on TV or in front of a teacher’s classroom. But this proposal? This is one of the most unique, touching and funny ones I’ve ever seen. Though, hey, maybe I’m biased.
See, I just got a letter from a guy who took proposing to his half-orange very seriously. Or, rather, seriouslyadorably. And as someone who believes that each one of us can be Meeting Your Half-Orange, I was thrilled to read what Larry wrote to me about proposing to Claire:
“Claire’s last name is Naranjo which is Spanish for orange tree. Growing up, her parents always called her “their little orange” and told her some day she will meet her “other half of the orange.” So I decided to dress up as half of an orange and make a video about my quest to find my other half.”
You can watch both the first part of Larry’s journey, and the second-half and the proposal. The video is a charming reminder that sometimes the search for your other half in love is a long, tiring road. But when you want it and you go for it, you can have it. As you’ll see, Larry was ready. And by the sound of it, Claire was ready, too.
As Claire’s mother Clara says in the video, “She always used to tell me, ‘I’m never going to get married.’ And I used to tell her, ‘Don’t worry. You’re going to get married. You’re going to have children. . . One day you’re going to find your half an orange.’”
Isn’t Mom’s always right?
I say the same to you. One day, you’ll meet your half-orange. Let this be a reminder that your other half is out there, too. Someone who will go to the craziest lengths to prove their love, to show they’ve been listening, and to beg you to be part of their lives forever. Larry & Claire, thanks for the inspiration and we wish you luck in your bright, sweet future!
—Amy
I loved this recent mention of Meeting Your Half-Orange in Natural Health magazine. In the story below, “Health nut seeks same” by Maureen Healy, I offered my advice on why finding someone with similar interests can enhance your relationship from the inside-out—the piece then shares suggestions of some online dating sites that cater to particular lifestyles.
Here’s to a naturally healthy half-orange love life!
—Amy
Recently, I contributed to a story in The Denver Post called New Year, New Love: The Time is Right for Dating, by Sheba R. Wheeler. In it, I gave her some of my thoughts on how to keep your eyes looking more positively on the prize of love at the start of a new year.
One of my contributions included this:
“Take a break. If you’ve been dating full throttle without success, it can begin to feel like work and become a source of frustration and pressure. “Now suddenly you are going out into the world with all this energy that says you are tired, you are over it, but do you still want to date me?” says Spencer. “Who wants to date that?” Take a break to reconnect with yourself and remember what’s good and lovable about you.”
If you liked that, go to the New Year, New Love article in The Denver Post, or click on the image below.
—Amy
It’s that time of year! My positive dating advice is featured in a fun new story this month in Seventeen magazine (note my admirable position as the “17 Expert” for the piece!)
In the story “Spring Clean Your Love Life,” writer Elisa Benson featured some of our fun and purely positive tips on how to dump your bad memories and bummer attitude and embrace a happier, healthier, lov-ier you in your dating life.
Pick up the new March 2011 issue of Seventeen to see the whole story. And for more advice like this, for singles from seventeen to ninety-seven, just order the brand spankin’ new paperback edition from Amazon.com of Meeting Your Half-Orange.
—Amy
What a great honor this month:
A fabulous journalist named Suzy Greaves wrote about the concept of dating optimism in a three-page feature called “The Optimist’s Guide to Dating” in the most recent issue of Psychologies magazine—which is like England’s version of America’s Psychology Today.
And my book Meeting Your Half-Orange—with it’s science-based focus on the neuropsychology of thinking positively and the benefits of being optimistic about love—fit right in.
Also fun: One of my positive comments about how I believe you should be picky in love was featured as the story’s pull quote, a great reminder when it comes to what you’re looking for: “You have my full permission to stop dating men you don’t find smart, interesting or physically attractive.”
Pick up the copy of the latest issue of Psychologies if you’re in the U.K. or check out the piece here:
—Amy