Don't Forget To Do Preventative Maintenance On Your Love Lives

When was the last time you did something special for someone in your life, just because? This is a perfect time of year to spread a little goodwill, put a smile on someone's face and enjoy the rewards for doing so. What you put out into the universe comes back to you, oftentimes ten-fold. The beautiful part about spreading goodwill to those that matter to you the most is that you're likely to reap the benefits of that act by just being there. Surprises are something that as we get older we say things like we hate surprises. We'll tell people how unnecessary they are. Then there's the tried and true, you shouldn't have.

When you do something special for someone that matters, it reaffirms things to them. Everybody has insecurity from time to time and it helps people that might be suffering from that insecurity. It makes them realize how special they are, and in turn, how special they are to you. For the guys, this is especially important to remember. We tend to be the ones that get easily sidetracked, forget our manners, and start to take things for granted. We're not the best at embracing our emotions, much less showing them when we should. So, little things like doing something special, some small and inconsequential thing in our eyes, may mean the world to those that matter to us.

Flowers

Most of the time, we don't think too much about giving flowers. They're a traditional fallback during Valentines' Day, for birthdays, and anniversaries. If you're like me, you've probably had a woman tell you how silly it is to spend money on something that's going to die. However, if you're listening to the ones in your life, you've heard at least one say, "I can't remember the last time a man sent me flowers."

In the "Old" days, or what was the 90s, making a point to know the local florists was a great idea. An even better idea was to have a revolving charge account at the florists. Many times, the local floral department saved a guy a serious butt chewing or night on the couch when he got distracted, forgot a special day, or just stayed out too late with the guys the night before. Talking to a few friends, the idea is still applicable, even today. Today, however, florists are a thing of the past in a lot of smaller markets and larger operations are on the internet. So, we would turn to our locally owned and operated Hyvee for our flowers.

A Fancy Dinner

Fancy dinners don't have to be just for special occasions. They give people the chance to get dressed up. Men can pull out their favorite suit, or even their funeral clothes, to take their important someone out for a night. For couples, this saves one, or both, the aggravation of finding time to cook. Maybe it's something that you haven't done for a while and a weekend date night is in order.

If you're a married couple, taking the spouse out to a nice dinner, showing them off to the world, reminds them of when you were first dating and you cared enough to impress them. Sure, you may have your favorite spot. Any Applebees will do in a pinch. But, when was the last time you went somewhere really nice and quiet, had a romantic evening, and enjoyed each others' company?

Surprises

Have things been a little hectic, even humdrum? Couples get so lost in their work, raising kids, and the necessities of paying bills, caring for a home, and trying to maintain their sanity. For the last 40 years, more and more households have become two-income homes. Sometimes, one or both of you need a little "pampering." And that's alright, as long as you recognize that it's a two-way street.

Don't be afraid to get rid of the kids for an evening. Whether it be to have some peace and quiet, for the two of you to be able to make out like "horny" teens again without interruption, or for you both to decompress while you watch your favorite show on Netflix, it's worth doing.

When two people in a relationship forget what brought them together in the first place, it's a recipe for disaster. Once in a while, you have to put some maintenance into even the smoothest running machines for them to continue to purr. When it comes to your relationships, aren't you happier when the spouse or significant other are purring?