Relationship PIES

This is the first in a multi-part series of articles.

We say that we have a relationship when we have a recognizable back-and-forth with another person. If I'm in Detroit and you're in Beijing and we never have an opportunity to interact in any way, then we don't have a relationship. If we become pen pals, then we have a way of interacting and we have a relationship. It may be tenuous, but it's there.

PIES is an acronym that attempts to distill the aspects of interaction available to us when forming relationship. In order, they are Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual. These constitute four pillars upon which rests any relationship. This is true whether the relationship is simply two people who are pen pals, discussing the day-to-day of their lives, or the relationship is between a man and a woman who have committed their lives to each other in marriage.

The four following articles will discuss each aspect of relating.