Appreciate what you have, before it turns in to something you had

It can be incredibly awkward for men to talk about feelings, the feels, the soft bits.

In relationships often we defer to what happens in the bedroom or some
physical gift or provision to show our caring nature.

This challenge for me exposes vulnerabilities as I wanted to run this with
no expectation of receiving the same in return (hence the extension of the
challenge to be that from your partner too!).

I often forget to mention what is is a actually love about my wife, and as days
run in to busy days that run in to endless hours of childcare, school runs, work
and house chores, it can be easy to forget why we are in this relationship in
the first place; what was it we actually like about each other when we first got
together all those years ago?!

A conscious effort to look at this does me, and our relationship, the world of
good. For me, it’s also easy to really go over the top on this exercise. I’m sure
we’ve all seen friends or those on social media who endlessly and publicly
espouse their love for each other only to end up unhappy, arguing or worse
– separating.

I didn’t want to set the bar so high that I had to keep up this appearance of
childish love and adoration. Sometimes, my wife irritates me. Sometimes, she
can wind me up and sometimes I wish she’d do things differently. But this is
like the weather; short term bursts of rain clouds do not make a long term
climate.

Take a risk, expose yourself to vulnerability and dare to share why you love
your partner or someone in your social circle. Chances are the person on the
receiving end is feeling the same push and pull of daily life and to offer this as
a gift won’t only make you feel better having done it but it will no doubt help
the partnership and the person receiving it.
We can do it!