Triangles get a bad rap. When people talk about relationships with a third wheel, they talk about jealousies, and possible infidelities, and two at a time leaving the third member out in the cold. The dark side of triangles.

But triangles may occur naturally, and sometimes in quite healthy ways. One-on-one relationships can be kind of intense and heavy, or boring at times, and all sorts of stuff from one's history can be acted out, unfairly, toward one's partner. When there are three people, the one outside of the heavy situation may shed light, or may give the person who is stressed a breather by taking the other guy or gal to a ball game for the afternoon.

In triangle X-Y-Z, you - Person X - can struggle with or tear your hair out over person Z. Dear person Y shows up and sighs with you until you regain your fascination with the flaws in person Z that made you tear out your hair and love him or her in the first place.

Am I making any sense?

I'm not discussing sexuality here. All I know is that person Z in a friendship can offer fresh air, a sense of space for awhile while he plays board games or talks politics with person Y. Perhaps X and Y are married, and their friend or relative Z hangs out with them a lot. When X and Y are bored by the end of the weekend, Z shows up, having been lonesome all weekend, and everything is alive again with the welcome arrival of a dear third person. This kind of healthy triangle is a heart-expanding gift, and can nurture relationships through hard times to the benefit of all three.