On Sunday afternoon I was reading an article in the Simple Things magazine that really hit home with me. You guessed it, it was called "love mindfully". With Valentine's Day coming up, it just gave me a little reminder to break out of my usual Monday to Friday working week funk and remember to see how special the everyday mundane small things are in your relationship. Both O and I can be guilty of letting silly things wind us up and not using our time together to the fullest (hello iPhone!). We shouldn't need to wait until Valentine's Day to show our other half how much they mean to us, so I thought I'd give you a little gist of how I'll be trying to love a little more mindfully...
:: Be present - in this day and age it's tough to switch off the outside world and just focus on being with each other. We've been making an extra effort to switch off our phones, iPads, laptops, TV etc and just spend time together. It's actually lovely to listen to Oscar telling me about his day or about something interesting he read that day instead of having our hands (and heads) glued to our phones.
:: The small things - this is something I'm a huge advocate of. Sometimes its not all about the grand gestures, but the little everyday things that might appear mundane to those on outside looking in. Oscar makes my lunch even on my days off. I'll look in the fridge and there will be a little packed lunch waiting for me. He turns on the electric blanket in the evening and tucks my pyjamas inside so they'll be toasty when I put them on. Every time I'm in Glasgow I'll bring him home an Eat granola pot, because they're his favourite. Or some M&S Colin Caterpillars. Sometimes these small things mean more than the grand things.
:: Laugh - you've got to be able to laugh. Laugh at yourself, each other and together. I could've had the worst possible day and I'll come home and O always makes me laugh and cheers me up. You need to be able to have fun together. Be silly. I'm rarely serious and sometimes O looks at me like "where did I find you?!". Don't take yourself so seriously, be a duffus!
:: Date night - I think its important to have date nights. When you live together, its easy to let the romance take a back seat when they every day stuff gets in the way. We try to have a date night every week. Some weeks this will be going out for a nice dinner, or going on an adventure. Other times it can just be cooking a nice meal and eating it at the dining table instead of on our laps in front of the TV. Its so important to keep things fresh and have a little romance.
:: See the best - we all get grumpy or annoyed at each other at some point. I'm guilty of being quick tempered, but I've been consciously trying to put myself in the other person's shoes. If you focus on the things that bug you about the other person, that's all you will see. Try to see the best in each other.
:: Alone time - everyone needs their space sometimes. Some of the loveliest afternoons are the ones we spend in the house together, but doing our own thing. O will be off doing something DIY, hockey or gaming related and I'll probably be catching up on blogs, reading or watching Netflix.
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