I was just reading an article on minimalist lifestyle that a fellow twitter, @RobLear posted the link to. You can read the article here if you are interested http://is.gd/2m12u

It made me think about relationships and the all the stuff we do that just ‘fills’ a day. How much of it REALLY counts?I am not saying we should take our relationships to a minimalist exisitance but that we CAN become aware of what we do in our relationships that really produce wonderful results.

For instance, a kiss. How many times do you just peck your partner upon waking, saying good-bye or a greeting peck-kiss? Yes, this does impart affection but imagine if you took your lover in your arms before you left for work and made that kiss count.

Imagine passion enveloping the both of you in that kiss. Your eyes meeting, the tenderness of your embrace, the anticipation of your lips joining…sigh. Then…you KISS. You hold each other and fall passionately in love all over again for that 2 minutes you decided to Make Everything You Do Count.

Now imagine returning home. Your lover will be waiting for you, anticipating what comes next. You will be anxious to get home to hold your darling once more and dive into that feeling of love and bliss.  You made that kiss count. How beautiful that a kiss can open hearts to feel so much.

But what about in the other areas of your life together. Ole and I heard couples talk about how one would do most of the household chores while the other turned a blind eye. It can build into a real problem for some people to the point of huge arguments.

If you are reading this and nodding your head in agreement you are either the one doing the chores or the one that is being yelled at for being lazy. So what is the solution…Make Everything You Do Count! And I don’t mean this in a ‘get brownie points’ kind of way.

If you are the person that is doing the chores and most likely the yelling, stop for a moment and ask what you can do different in this situation. Some people just expect that the other person will see you picking up and cleaning the house and join in. That could be a dream you are living in…yes?

Go to your partner and tell them you are feeling a little amourous but the house is putting a damper on your mood. If your lover would help with the household chores, you could enjoy some love-time together after. And with their help, it won’t take so long. Of course this is a bribe but what a delicious reward.

Your love-time could be anything that makes you both feel connected and wonderful and totally loved and in-love. You can snuggle on the couch, watch a movie, go for a walk and hold hands, talk, make love, sit in the car and make out, watch the sunset. You decide but make it count. Don’t set a time limit. Just let your love flow and your hearts open.

Now, the person that is usually the recipient of the anger and accusations of being lazy…Make Everything You Do Count! Get off your butt and help. I know it is easy to get lost in a project and completely loose focus of the outside world. But you have to open your sights a bit. It’s Saturday and that is the day the house gets cleaned but you sit at your latest project and poof! The world disappears.

Before you go to that project or the tv or out to the garage, go to your sweety and say you would like to help with the Saturday chores so that you have more time to be together after. Or that you both can enjoy your projects when things are done.

Back to the first person…be patient. Your lover may not do or clean the way you do but they are giving their best. So be happy they are helping. No critisizing or complaining. Offer suggestions how they can achieve better results. Make Everything You Do Count!

Back to the second person…understand that your lover is not critisizing you. There are some things we are good at and some we are not. So take the advise and run with it. Learn from the master so to speak. Make Everything You Do Count!

Ole would help me around house. In the beginning I would get riled up because he didn’t do things the way I wanted or whatever. But then I realised at least he was helping. So if there was a specific way I wanted something done,  I would ask him to do it like such and such. No yelling. No demanding. No making him feel upset or sad. And the same went for him when I was helping him.

We LOVED being together. Didn’t matter if we were cleaning house or collecting firewood or watching a movie, it was great.

Make Everything You Do Count! You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Passionate regards….Brenda