On Valentine’s Day, we make an extra effort to show our love. Why not everyday?
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and it seems like a perfect time to talk about Dr. Gary Chapman’s Five Languages of Love – affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time and physical touch.
If you go to his of work, you can learn your love language as well as your intimate partner’s. Taken together, it’s a pretty cool way to open up an important conversation.
I recently interviewed a young woman and I asked her, “Who is your hero?”
She paused for a moment, then said, “My dog.”
I was expecting Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln or maybe Kamala Harris.
“Your dog?” I said.
“Yes,” she unflappably responded. “You know, he’s happy to see me when I come home. He forgives me for my shortcomings. He respects me for my who I am. He listens to me when I need his ear. And most of all, he’s always kind.”
Really, I was speechless. And impressed.
On Valentine’s Day, we make an extra effort to show our love. Why not everyday? Everyday should be Valentine’s Day. Right? Everyday, we should show happiness when we see our partner. Everyday, we should forgive them for their shortcomings and respect them for who they are. Listen to them when they need our ear. Show empathy. And most of all, always be kind.
It is my intuitive belief that if we are mindful of these golden precepts, we’ll get the affirmation and appreciation we crave if that’s our love language; we’ll get those acts service – the extra effort to get the things done we feel are priorities; we’ll receive that special, out of nowhere gift; or the joy of spending quality time watching a movie, eating popcorn together, reading in front of the fire or simply sitting quietly holding hands. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get that mind blowing sex we want if physical touch is our love language!
This is Dr. Jim for Be Healthy! Be Happy! Power your path to happiness! Subscribe to Be Healthy! Be Happy! News.