WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL LOVED?

It's been said that you feel loved when your partner loves you the way you need to be loved. And it's different for everyone. So I asked people--men and women--one simple question: What makes you feel loved? Here's what they told me:

Men

Knowing that my wife trusts me with her heart and her life. It is the most awesome and humbling responsibility.

When she makes my special macaroni dish.

When we cuddle up late at night, skin to skin.

I can't tell you how many people have told me that they've never seen my new wife this happy. Ever. To think that I can be that person for someone else...that makes me feel loved.

When she allows me the space to do the things I love.

Knowing she's attracted to me.

Feeling heard and appreciated makes me feel loved.

Women

When things fall apart--anything from illness to a flat tire--he drops everything to help and be with me.

When he cooks for us, I feel loved.

After a hard day, we come together at night, and he tells me to come get in his arms, and tells me how much he loves me and what a good wife I am.

When we take care of each other, like when he brings me coffee in bed.

When he makes my lunch and packs it with a love note.

When he notices I'm not myself and is able to guess what's wrong before I'm even aware of it.

When he tells me he desires me.

Now It's Your Turn

Ask yourself: What makes YOU feel loved? Ask your mate. You can even ask your kids. I'm sure it will spur a great conversation!

The Times They Are A-Changing

Summer is my favorite time in Greenwich Village -- the busy, artsy town just a train-ride from my old home on Long Island.

Every time I return to New York, my friend Erin and I go to the Village, always stopping for a cappuccino at our favorite place, Le Figaro Cafe. The 50-year-old haunt was the original gathering place for the likes of Bob Dylan and the Beatniks, a cultural fixture on Bleecker Street, and a personal landmark for us.

Then we saw the sign on the door. CLOSED. Le Figaro Cafe will become a burrito chain restaurant.

Have you ever lost something you thought would last forever? It doesn't feel too good. Now, in the grand scheme of things, Le Figaro is not groundshakingly important, but for Erin and me, it was a piece of our personal history, and it was gone. As Dylan once sang, "The Time They are A-Changing."

I was stunned, but rather than stay focused on something gone, I thought about the good things that still remain, like the fact that I was walking down Bleecker Street with the same wonderful friend I've known since my first ventures into Greenwich Village. 

"Well," we said, "Let's walk across the street to the Cafe Del Mar and try their cappuccino." And we did.

How To Get Rich

There are lots of ways to get rich, and making money is just one of them. The other is cultivating the relationships that matter most to you. That's the path I'm taking. 

Yes, I love nice things just as much as the next girl, but I'm banking on the richness I get from the people I love. Spending time together watching a movie or going to the beach outweighs most anything I can think of. Here's a picture of my husband Bryan and our daughter Sophia at Disneyland doing just that!

So next time you're feeling down, ask yourself this question, "Do I have one person in my life who loves me and I love back?" If so, you are rich indeed.