You Won't Believe This

Did you read about the guy who bought a Winnebago RV and on his first trip, set the cruise control at 70 mph on the highway, then left the driver’s seat, went to the back and started making coffee? Ridiculous, right? Of course, the RV crashed. The owner then sued Winnebago, stating that the owner’s manual did not warn him that cruise control is not autopilot. And he won! The court awarded him $1.75 million. 

At least that’s the story. You can find it on the internet. 

But, it isn’t true.

Nope, urban legend. And thank God it isn’t true, right? First, that anyone would be that stupid and second, that someone could win a lawsuit like that. 

It Happens Every Day

But, here’s what IS true: couples everywhere make the same foolish mistakes everyday. They have put their relationship on cruise control and left the driver’s seat, taken their hands off the wheel, as if it will just drive itself! They aren’t watching the road, don’t see their love heading perilously off course. They are paying attention to other things: kids, careers, hobbies, toys, diversions, distractions—as the relationship veers off course. Too often, they don’t realize it until they have crashed and burned. 


By then, the damage is done.


Now, that IS ridiculous. As if saying, “I love you” and “I do” is enough for a lifetime. It isn’t. A relationship needs attention and intention: hands on the wheel, eyes on the road. Relationship cruise control is foolhardy. 

Get Beck in the Driver's Seat

That’s where Couples Workshops of Florida comes in. Put your relationship back on a safe path. Come to Orlando and spend two days at a Hold Me Tight®️ couples retreat. Hold Me Tight®️ is a low key, fun way to learn and grow as a couple. Over two days, you will meet other couples, see how much you have in common and make sense of your relationship…your conflicts, your connection. You will learn what makes love and what breaks love. You will leave with skills for driving your relationship better, not putting it on cruise control. 


If you’re drifting off course, Hold Me Tight®️ can help. And, even if you have crashed and think you’re hopelessly stuck in a ditch, don’t give up. Your relationship may not be the wreck you think it is. Sometimes, a little understanding and insight and a few guided conversations will give you answers you didn’t know you had and you realize you can indeed get back in the driver’s seat. That’s what a Hold Me Tight®️ retreat can do. 


Get Some Hands On Training

But, you’ll never know until you try. Get some hands on training.


All the details are at www.couplesworkshopsofflorida.com. Our next workshop is the weekend before Valentine’s Day, February 9 & 10, 2024. Plan for it now. Get it on your calendar and give your relationship a gift that can last a lifetime. Here’s to safe travels in the new year!


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Time for an Update?

By Mark Beck • September 16, 2025
Like over 90% of Americans, I own a smartphone. It’s definitely a love/hate relationship. My phone frequently notifies me of a software update. It’s pretty easy to update my phone, and even more important. But, why update the software? I asked Google and here’s what it told me: “Smartphone software updates are crucial for enhancing security by patching vulnerabilities, improving stability by fixing bugs and glitches, and optimizing performance for a smoother experience.” Sounds good to me. All I know is: updates matter. They keep my phone working well. They are as beneficial as they are necessary. But, it occurs to me that not just smartphones need updates. Smart relationships do too.

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By Mark Beck • August 25, 2025
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Prevention is Best

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Benjamin Franklin famously said, “An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure.” I think he was right. Preventing heart disease, for example (with exercise and a healthy diet) beats cardiac bypass surgery by a mile. An oil change on your car is way better than an engine rebuild. Prevention is easier, faster and cheaper almost every time. It’s true in relationships too. Love is meant to last a lifetime. But a relationship left unattended will eventually wear out—and many do. Repairing it in couples therapy is often expensive, difficult and time consuming. Instead, a little attention along the way can help you avoid those costly repairs.

The "Other Side" of the Coin

By Mark Beck • July 17, 2025
In my last blog post, we said that the most vital skill for any strong relationship is empathy. (If you haven’t seen that blog, check out “The One Skill Your Relationship Can’t Do Without”.) Empathy is vital in love. But, empathy is not the only important skill. That hit record has a flip side. What is it? It’s vulnerability. Close connection in love demands vulnerability, almost by definition. Vulnerability: the willingness to open up, to show and share the deep stuff: wishes, needs, fears, uncertainties, insecurities, the things about us that we often prefer to hide. In any healthy relationship, vulnerability and empathy go hand in hand. Each makes the other possible. Without them, couples live at arm’s length, “hiding in plain sight,” like intimate strangers. They might be together…might even be married, but they aren’t close. Maybe you know this all too well. Maybe you live it everyday.

The One Skill Your Relationship Can't Do Without

By Mark Beck • July 14, 2025
Lots of things make for a healthy relationship: affirmation, trust, sacrifice, forgiveness, commitment. But, maybe the most important skill, the one no healthy relationship can do without…is empathy. Empathy is the ability to recognize and convey not only your emotions, but your partner’s emotions as well. Humans are bonding mammals and emotions are how we bond. Emotional connection is the lifeblood of any relationship. Your partner needs to know that you “get them,” that you understand their world, that you support and believe in them, that you are there for them. Empathy gets all that across.

Maintenance is Key

By Mark Beck • July 7, 2025
My wife and I bought a car recently. Not a new car, just new to us. We spent a small fortune on it and I’m determined to take good care of it. I vacuum it religiously. I check the fluids, tire pressure, mileage. I keep it clean, inside and out. I wash it at least once a week and am careful not to track a lot of dirt inside it. I’ve watched You Tube videos on simple maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotation and so forth. I’m no master mechanic, but I like to do the little things any shade tree mechanic might. We keep it out of direct sun when we can and drive as carefully as possible.

Trust is Key

By Mark Beck • June 25, 2025
I had a strange experience recently. I was out of town (in Texas, actually) and absentmindedly left my phone in a WalMart restroom (big mistake, but I know I’m not the first). I realized what I’d done less than 20 minutes later and headed back for my phone. Too late…it was gone. Now, if you found a lost cell phone, what would you do? You’d probably try to contact the owner or at least leave it with someone responsible. You’d make a good faith effort. Most people would. But, not all. With my wife’s phone, I called my number and, sure enough, someone answered. He indeed had picked up my phone. I was relieved…for a second. Then, the guy told me he’d happily return the phone to me…for $200, via Cash App. I don’t know who was dumber: me for leaving my phone behind or him for thinking I’d give him a dime to get it back. We both knew one thing: whether I paid him or not, I’d never see that phone again. It was a sad lesson in broken trust as my faith in humanity slipped a few notches. Chalk one up for the school of hard knocks.

Change Your Viewing

By Mark Beck • May 29, 2025
What is the first step to changing our station in life, changing a situation or a relationship? I suggest it starts with changing how we view things, how we look at the problem or the person. Do we see burden or a blessing…obligation or opportunity? Often, when we’re stuck, say, in a difficult relationship, we see our partner as an opponent. He or she is the problem. We may even go find a therapist whom we hope will “fix” our partner. We focus on the other’s weakness, faults and failures, how they let us down and miss the mark. If that is your focus, then the more you look, the more you will see. Most couples who come to me for therapy are so focused on their partner’s problems that they can’t see anything else. They are often stuck in blame and negativity. And what we see informs what we believe. If we see only the bad in our partner, it’s easy to believe that he or she doesn’t love us or that the relationship is hopeless. That’s when couples don’t call me; they call lawyers.

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By Mark Beck • April 25, 2025
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Safety First

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A local factory required all of its employees to attend a safety class. One fellow didn’t really pay attention and when the final exam at the end of the class asked, “In case of a fire, what steps would you take?” the fellow answered, “Large ones!” “Safety First” is a wise strategy, everywhere from the workplace to the highway to healthcare to childcare. Injuries and accidents cost multiplied billions every year and it’s always better to prevent an accident than to treat one. Whatever the setting, people do better when they feel safe.
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