1. Say "thank you" for something new every day. Nothing makes you feel more loved than your partner noticing something you did with them in mind. When you strive to appreciate the little things about each other, it really isn't hard to find new things to say thank you for. Thanks for emptying the dishwasher. Thanks for turning on my half of the heated mattress pad. Thanks for texting me during your lunch break. Thanks for making me finally do that thing I was putting off. Thanks for hanging up my coat. Thanks for talking to that lonely kindergartener about Star Wars in Sunday School. Thanks for spending time with my family.
2. Never let something little turn into something big. No, don't sweep it under the rug; really let it go. Little things can get under your skin if you let them. Thankfully we are blessed with easygoing personalities, but I notice myself having to purposefully let it go when we are cooking together. He thinks it needs two more minutes in the oven. I think we shouldn't salt the vegetables. Little things that don't matter, and no matter who "wins" the disagreement, we'll have a tasty dinner. No matter who picks the TV channel, we both have lazy time to wind down together. No matter who drives to our friends' house during rush hour, we both have fun with our pals.
3. Be alone together. When I'm mad or stressed, usually all I want to do is retreat from the world. Before marriage that was very easy; I could sit alone in my room for hours undisturbed, isolating myself. Honestly it's not that healthy for me. I would usually get madder before I felt any better. Now when either of us is mad or stressed and needing alone time, we hug it out and then spend our alone time together: sitting in a room together, not speaking. Just reading or typing or sleeping or watching TV. It helps to recharge but skip over any possible downward-spiraling that could happen in isolation. For us, the two most comforting things are alone time and time with our spouse, and those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.
Marriage is awesome, partly because they're each completely unique. Do you have any of these points in common with your relationship? Let me know about an important lesson your partner has taught you!
Marriage is awesome, partly because they're each completely unique. Do you have any of these points in common with your relationship? Let me know about an important lesson your partner has taught you!
AW <3 That picture is s'cute. All three of these are great!
ReplyDeleteThrough marriage, I've learned that no matter how hard you try to communicate well, miscommunication is inevitable. But the way we choose to respond to those miscommunications can make all the difference! It's important to talk through those situations with kindness & respect instead of just getting frustrated with each other.
Yeah we're learning that now... miscommunication is inevitable when you're trying to communicate every detail of life/plans/dreams/dinner. When my siblings and I were kiddos, we used to get in MAJOR trouble for saying, "Oh I thought you said..." And my mom would always say "Reinforce the correct!" Now I know why, hah!
DeleteI love you. I love this post. I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteEmily I'm so glad you approve of this little blog! I can only dream of keeping up with it long term like your Thought Spot. Luv ya.
DeleteI've learned that I don't have to cover everything. Having a spouse/ wingman means I can share the load of being a grownup. It cuts the yucky tasks in half and doubles the joy. I didn't expect that!
ReplyDelete