For those of you who are satisfied in your relationship and actually enjoy coming home to your partner, here’s a quick tip to keep it going:
Don’t take any of the positive things for granted.
Too often we can forget to give thanks for our blessings. We need to take the time to appreciate.
One way to do this is to take a moment to jot down ten things you love about your partner. You can write anything that you admire, find cute, appreciate, or just plain like about your partner. This does NOT have to be a deep, gut wrenching, soul-searching list–just authentic and simple.
For example, the things I appreciate and love about my husband (Hi honey:-)) include:
1. His beautiful blue eyes.
2. His willingness to go out of his way to help anyone, including me and the children.
3. His willingness to put into practice all the things I talk to my clients about.
4. His sense of humor.
5. His willingness to go through some of the exercises I bring home from all the workshops I co-lead.
6. His constantly making our family a priority in his actions and his words.
7. I love that he actually reads my posts–out of love not duty (I think:-)).
8. His calves. (I know, a little odd, but he really does have nice calves.
9. I love that he holds my imperfections with love rather than contempt…especially when I’m so proud at how much I’ve done packing when the reality is I have four rooms started yet not one room finished!
10. I love that he’s an equal partner with the children, the house, and emotional support.
After you make your list, make a habit of randomly choosing one item from the list and express your gratitude, admiration, or appreciation to your partner for that quality or trait. I call this a tender sprinkle; just like little chocolate jimmies you have on an ice-cream cone, tender sprinkles add a bit of sweetness to your relationship.
Every time I tell my husband I love his eyes, I swear I see them sparkle more. Try it out and see what you notice.
Challenge: Keep the list in your wallet, purse, or palm pilot (day timers for those of us who prefer the hard copy) and commit to choosing one item from it every couple days.