Is your partner/sweetheart truly your significant other? Prove it.
If your relationship is measured in years, it’s probably taken on some routines.
• You have favorite sides of the sofa.
• There are a few select restaurants you frequent.
• Welcome home greetings are perfunctory cheek-pecks.
• Conversations are sprinkled with grunts and monosyllabic responses.
You’re comfortable with each other. And the specialness of “us” has withered away.
At some point along the relational journey, you begin taking your relationship and partner for granted. Romantic Moments, once integral to you weeks together, have been replaced by occasional snippets of romance. Terms of endearment have vanished like rain in the desert. Extended embraces and lingering kisses only haunt the backroads of your memories.
Life is littered with the corpses of taken-for-granted relationships: Two sharing space and time. More roommates than lovers.
But I don’t think that’s what you want for yours. Time to prove your partner is your significant other.
Begin by making a list of at least 10 things you love about your partner, your sweetheart, and your relationship. Be specific. No generalizations. And extending the list to 20 or more is even better.
Now, share these with your partner. Not all at once. Maybe once a day. Start each compliment with words like, “I’m proud of you for….” Or, “I’m lucky you’re mine because….” Say them out loud or in writing.
Regularly exchange perfunctory cheek-pecks for real kisses and extended embraces. Reach out and touch your partner while sitting close or in the car. Wink at them with an impish grin.
And create regular weekly Romantic Moments. These don’t have to be major Romantic Moments. Just time to intentionally romance your partner.
Resurrecting these actions in your relationship will prove to your partner, your sweetheart, they are truly your significant other: unique, special, and deeply important to you.
