Appreciations
“I appreciate…”
Sincere and specific. Not “you're great,” but “I appreciate that you packed the lunches this morning without being asked.” Looking for what is right, and saying so out loud, builds goodwill you will draw on later.
DailyTemperatureReading.com
Two temperatures worth checking every day.
The one outside your window, and the one inside your closest relationships. Start with today's forecast for any city in the world. Then learn the Daily Temperature Reading, the five-step conversation that couples, parents, families and teams have used for decades to stay connected.
OutsideLive conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, 30-day trends and a global snapshot.
InsideAppreciations, new information, puzzles, concerns with recommendations, and wishes, hopes and dreams.
Currently in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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°F
Loading conditions…
Humidity
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Dew point --°
Wind
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Direction --
UV index
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Air quality
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PM2.5 -- µg/m³
Outdoor comfort
Reading the air…
Forecast
The next 24 hours and the week ahead
Hourly temperature
Next 24 hours · precipitation chance7-day outlook
High · lowTrends
How today compares
Today's hourly curve set against yesterday, or thirty days of highs and lows in one view.
Today vs. yesterday
--at this hour
Comparing the same hour yesterday.
Warmest of the last 30 days
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Coolest of the last 30 days
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Around the world
Temperatures right now
Tap any city to make it your current reading.
Your own readings
Personal temperature log
Body temperature, a backyard sensor, the nursery thermostat. Jot readings here while you work.
Recent entries
| Time | Type | Value | Note |
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No readings yet. Add your first one on the left and it will appear here.
Now, the other reading
Relationships have a temperature too.
Most of us check the weather before we leave the house. Far fewer of us check in with the people we love before the day carries us off in different directions. The Daily Temperature Reading is a ten-minute ritual that does exactly that.
Created by family-therapy pioneer Virginia Satir and refined by the PAIRS Foundation over four decades of teaching, it gives two or more people a safe, predictable structure for saying what is going right, what is new, what is puzzling, what is bothering them, and what they are hoping for.
Where it comes from
A simple structure with a serious pedigree
Virginia Satir, one of the founders of family therapy, designed the Temperature Reading as a way for families to keep communication clear and ongoing. In 1983, marriage and family therapist Lori Heyman Gordon built it into PAIRS, the Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills, as the first tool every class learns.
Since then PAIRS has taught the Daily Temperature Reading to tens of thousands of couples, parents, veterans and professionals. It is the opening exercise in the free Yodi app, the first chapter of practice in Love That Grows With You, and a staple of fatherhood, military-family and community programs.
“The Daily Temperature Reading is simple, but it is powerful. It helps couples build the habit of appreciating, updating, wondering, raising concerns respectfully, and dreaming together. That is preventive maintenance for love.”
Five steps, in order
The Daily Temperature Reading
Take turns in each area before moving to the next. Skip an area if you have nothing to say, but always end with wishes, hopes and dreams.
New information
“I want to share with you…”
Big or small, keep each other up to date. A change of plans, something you learned, a call from a friend. Intimacy depends on knowing what is going on in each other's lives.
Puzzles
“I'm wondering…”
Ask about anything you are wondering. Puzzles are questions, not accusations. Assumptions quietly damage relationships; checking them out is how you prevent misunderstandings before they start.
Concerns with recommendations
“When you… I feel… What I recommend instead is…”
Never against the other person, always on behalf of the relationship. Focus on one specific behavior (an action, not a thought or feeling), confide how you feel when it happens, and ask clearly for what you want instead.
- One concern at a time
- Describe the behavior, not the character
- Pair every concern with a recommendation
Wishes, hopes and dreams
“I wish… I hope… I dream…”
For today, this week, this lifetime, or anywhere in between. Sharing what you long for, and encouraging the other person to share theirs, brings you closer and makes it far more likely those dreams come true. Always end here.
How to make it work
Ten minutes, the same time each day
Pick a time and keep it.Over coffee, after dinner, at bedtime. Regularity matters more than length.
Take turns inside each step.Both people share appreciations before anyone moves on to new information.
Listen to understand, not to answer.The listener's job is to make sure the speaker feels heard, whether or not they agree.
Keep the categories honest.No complaint disguised as an appreciation. No answering a puzzle with a defense.
It works between partners, between parents and children, in parent-teacher conferences, in staff meetings and among friends. Anywhere two people want to stay connected.
Before you begin
Who are you reading with?
Choose the relationship and, if you like, a name. The prompts will speak to that person directly.
Relationship
Doing this solo? Write what you would say to them. Many people prepare privately first, then share the reading in person.
Your reading
Today's Daily Temperature Reading
The reading is complete when you have both shared. If you wrote this alone, the next step is to find the right moment to say it out loud.
Go deeper
Learn it, practice it, teach it
Free app
Practice with Yodi, the PAIRS relationship coach
Yodi walks you through the Daily Temperature Reading and fifteen other PAIRS exercises by voice or text, any time. Free from the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation, with no ads or subscriptions.
Book
Love That Grows With You
Seth Eisenberg's practical guide to emotional connection, with complete instructions for the Daily Temperature Reading and six other PAIRS tools. Second edition.
Find it on AmazonClasses
PAIRS classes online and in person
Learn the full PAIRS toolkit with a trained facilitator, from the twelve-hour Essentials course to in-depth programs for couples, fathers and military families.
Explore classesRead
Skills for connection: the PAIRS Daily Temperature Reading
A closer look at how the five steps help couples, parents and families strengthen emotional bonds, from the Fatherhood Channel.
Read the article