Speak to your girlfriend the way you would want to be spoken to by a close friend. Regardless of whether you are sharing a good laugh or arguing, a healthy relationship is always based on mutual respect.   Manage your tone of voice. An important part of communicating involves tone of voice. Speaking in a kind tone that lets her know that you care about her is very important.   Never call names. Name-calling is an ultimate sign of disrespect. Don't expect your girlfriend to tolerate it. Refrain from cursing. Part of speaking to your girlfriend kindly and treating her with respect is avoiding cursing at or in front of her. Your girlfriend may find cursing very offensive, so err on the side of caution and refrain from doing it. Body language is key to understanding a person's feelings on a deeper level than they may be expressing verbally. Experts say that about 55% of communication involves body language, so picking up on your girlfriend's nonverbal cues may give you inside information about her feelings.   Take her cues. If your girlfriend is enjoying the moment, her body language will likely reflect that feeling. She may be smiling coyly, making consistent and lingering eye contact, or leaning her body in towards you. She will appear relaxed, and her face, body, and feet will be directed toward you. This shows you she is engaged in the moment. Pay attention to these cues to know when you are doing something you should continue doing, whether in an intimate setting or amongst a group of peers. Notice if she is feeling uncomfortable in a situation. If you believe that something is making her uncomfortable, taking her aside and asking her about it can help. If she is indeed uncomfortable, help her remove herself from the situation. If she is feeling a bit nervous, you may see her playing with something in her hands, stroking her hair, touching her neck, or playing with her necklace. These are called “pacifying behaviors.” Watch for them. Just as you should pride yourself in being your own person, so should your girlfriend. You should be proud that she has her own thoughts, opinions, and dreams. Encourage her to share them with you as she chooses.  Accept differences in political stance, taste in art or music, and interest in recreational activities. Whether or not they are the same stances and interests as yours, her opinions and tastes matter. Just remind yourself that -- although you'd like to be -- you're really not the authority and arbiter on all things, personal and public. Just think of your differences as part of the "spice of life." Wouldn't it be boring if you two agreed on everything?  If you feel like you can't respect her opinions, this might not be the right relationship for you. If you differ on fundamental issues -- a desire for monogamy in the relationship, for instance, or the religious upbringing of your children -- it might be time to reevaluate the relationship. While you should still treat her opinions and feelings with respect, you may realize they are just not compatible with yours. Honesty is the cornerstone of all healthy relationships. Being honest with your girlfriend is extremely important right from the beginning. While it is sometimes difficult to be honest, it is always, always the best policy. Keeping a web of lies straight can be quite stressful. Besides, what's the point of maintaining a relationship built on deceit?    Be honest from the start. Trust can be very hard to regain once it's broken. Instead of risking being caught in a lie, just be honest from the beginning. A relationship built on lies will never make you truly happy. If you have told a lie, admit it. The best thing you can do is to have your girlfriend hear the truth from you and not from someone else. She will respect you more for your ultimate honesty (once she gets over the shock of being lied to.) She wants to believe you -- and believe in you. Apologizing is one of the best ways to show your respect for your girlfriend. It doesn't require a grand gesture, but it must be genuine.  Apologize sooner rather than later. The best time to apologize is as soon as you know you were in the wrong. Speak from the heart. Say something like, “I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings. I'll try to do better next time.” This can be as powerful as a dozen roses. It will feel to her like a heavy weight has been lifted from her heart. Don't force your apology. If you don't mean it, don't bother. A fake apology is worse than none at all.
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One-sentence summary -- Speak to her kindly. Observe and respect her body language. Treat her as your equal. Be honest. Apologize if you make her upset.


Compared to dry beans, canned beans are a mixed bag. Some cans contain beans that are "plain" except for the preservative fluid they are sitting in. Other cans contain beans that are sitting in a sauce. Some cans even contain beans that are meant to be heated and eaten on their own. A quick check of the label should tell you which type of beans you have. When in doubt about how to use canned beans, check the back of the label. Many will include sample recipes and serving suggestions. Plain canned beans usually come in a clear, slimy brine. This works well for keeping them fresh and it's perfectly safe to eat, but it can taste unpleasantly "artificial." All it takes to get rid of this gross substance is to pour the contents of the can into a strainer and rinse them with cold water for a few seconds. Canned beans come pre-cooked, so all you need to do is heat them up. If you're using plain beans that you've just rinsed, add a small amount of water to the container you're heating the beans in. If you're using beans in a sauce, you can usually just heat the beans in their liquid without any extra work. If you're using a microwave, be sure to heat the beans in a microwave-safe container like a ceramic or glass bowl (rather than a metal or plastic one). If you're camping, you can cook a can of beans-in-sauce directly in its can. Simply open the top of the can and carefully place it over your campfire. This is easiest if your fire pit has a metal grate, but if it doesn't, you can just balance the can on a rock near the edge of the fire. Be careful — it will get very hot. Since canned beans are already cooked, it's easy to use them in other other recipes. If these recipes require cooking, add the beans at the end of the cooking process so they don't over-cook. For cold recipes, you can usually use canned beans as-is.  In the section below, you'll find a few recipe suggestions that you can use red kidney beans in. Except where noted, you can use cooked dry beans or plain canned beans interchangeably.
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One-sentence summary --
Check whether the beans are plain or flavored. Rinse plain beans. Heat the beans in a saucepan or microwave. Alternatively, add plain beans to other recipes.