Women do not notice all the ways men love them. A lot of women complain to their friends. Their man doesn't listen. He doesn't help out around the house or with the kids. He never says 'I love you'. But he says it in SO many ways. As an outsider looking in, I assure you it is heartbreaking to see men profess their love for their women and then in turn see these women ignore or even attack them for it. It's important to understand that most men come from a world where emotions are not shown openly. At least, not the warm, fuzzy and soft emotions. But, smart as they are, men have found a way around that. Instead, they show these horribly beautiful emotions in small gestures. Tiny gestures. And it is time that we, the women who have been brainwashed by Hollywood movies, start appreciating that. Start noticing the tiny gestures. Because if you knew how you keep breaking the heart of the man of your dreams, your life partner, the love of your life, you would die a little inside. When a man comes to pick you up for a date and he has showered, his clothes are clean and, very important ladies, his car is washed, he cares! For you! It doesn't matter what kind of clothes he's wearing. If they're clean and ironed and his car is washed, it means he has spent a good portion of the day preparing to go pick you up. Most men will never tell you that they cancelled plans to hang with friends that day, so they would have time to wash the car. So notice that! When your man says that your sister could help out more with taking care of your elderly mother, he is telling you, albeit in a very caveman way, that he sees you juggling your job, the kids, the household and the pets on top of taking care of your mother. But instead of thanking him for showing his concern, you attack him for not understanding and talking crap about your sister. Now he feels rejected and misunderstood. He is probably wondering how his attempt to show love and appreciation turned into this major discussion he now finds himself in. When your man comes home from work. He cares! If a man is tired or grumpy or stressed out, he will go to the place he feels most comfortable being all horrible. If that is with you, you're a lucky woman! And this is not a joke. It's much easier for men to call up a friend and go grab a beer or go to the gym and sweat it all out. So if you have a man who chooses to be close to you in the yucky moments, appreciate that. And let him show you how he wants to be near you. Don't push, don't pull. Just let it unfold. There is immense beauty in watching a man unfold. When a man wipes his feet before coming into the house. When he says that the food was delicious. When he puts his phone on silent when he is talking with you. When he is nice to your dog and he doesn't even like dogs. When he calls just to check if the day is still going according to plan, to confirm when and how you'll meet later. When he puts down the toilet lid. When he doesn't put his feet up on the dinner table. These are all ways in which a man shows his love. How is that? Because men don't do these things naturally. They operate from a functional mindset. Mind you, functional does not mean simplistic. It means: I'm hungry, I eat. I'm tired, I sleep. My legs are heavy, I put them up on the table. Men are not used to taking into consideration how they might make others feel. And they surely never want others to know how they are feeling! Being functional is safe. And men are experts at it. So if a man takes time to not be functional with you it is a big deal. It's outside his comfort zone. Most men don't want to be seen as soft. Soft is weak. Weak is death. It's a caveman thing. A survival thing. You will certainly see immediate improvement in the dynamic between you and your man when you start noticing his tiny gestures. And now comes the easy part: your appreciation can be tiny too. No need to make a big deal of it. Finding a way to acknowledge that his gesture didn't go unnoticed is really all it takes. 'Thank you for putting the lid down.' 'I love how you always come get me at the door.' 'Had a rough day? Just sit here and breathe. I'll take care of dinner.'
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