A loving relationship
We all want loving, positive, fulfilling relationships. How do we create them?
It's not the big gestures or the sweeping declarations that matters most. It's the small micromoments of love, care and compassion. These micromoments sound like:
“How are you?”
“I heard your child was sick, how are they feeling today?”
“Can I grab you a cup of tea?”
“How can I help you?”
“I made this for you.”
“I read this article and thought of you.”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said…”
“How is your heart?”
“What’s going on at home right now?”
“You did a great job on this.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“I want you to know how loved you are.”
“I see how hard you’re working.”
“Tell me more about that.”
“Thank you.”
“I appreciate you.”
“You make my life better.”
A substantial body of research led by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson of UNC shows that these small moments are the very fuel that power loving relationships.
Today, think about one relationship you want to invest it. Then, reach out and create your own small loving micromoment. As the poet Emily Dickinson once said, “If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves.”
