5 Little Ways to Show You Care
By Chelsea Badeau, Comcast.net Relationships Editor
September 04, 2005
When I first heard about the massive destruction, death, and complete devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, I was horrified. It made me realize just how vulnerable we humans really are on this earth. We build armies, we develop weapons, and we create all kinds of defense systems in hopes of protecting ourselves from each other.
However, there is very little we can do to defend ourselves from nature's fury. In one day, sometimes in a matter of hours, minutes, or even seconds, nature can wipe out life as we know it with no regard for politics, religion, race, gender, or any of the other demographics humans like to squabble over. There is no rhyme or reason when it comes to natural disasters.
I have been glued to my television watching the coverage of this catastrophe since it first began to unravel. It still seems so unreal to think that this situation is really going on right here in America. I was working the news the day the tsunami hit Asia and my feelings of shock, emptiness, disbelief, anger, helplessness, and sadness as the death toll continued to skyrocket, are the same as I am feeling now. However, this pulls at my heart even more because it hits so much closer to home.
Seeing people that have lost everything they have ever known-- their homes, their clothes, their cities, their lives--makes me realize just how lucky I am to have everything that I do have. There are so many tragic stories of people losing loved ones. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of this tragedy. I have never been this close to such a large-scale disaster in my life.
As I try to process all of this and figure out what role I can personally play in helping the victims rebuild and start over, I am also looking at the people and relationships in my life. Life is too precious to take the people you love for granted. While it shouldn't take a hurricane like this to make us realize the value of one another, the truth is that it often does take a tragic event to wake us up to the wonderful things in our own lives.
We need to stop and think about things from time to time. Sometimes, you have to take a step back to be able to see the picture more clearly. There are many things that occupy our time and often personal relationships get pushed to the back burner. However, these relationships are what really matter in life. When you look back on life you don't remember the majority of the busy work that takes up 70% of your life, but you will remember people and how you interacted with those people and what they meant to you.
Try not to focus on small disagreements. Don't let them consume you and then create rifts in your relationships. One time I stayed mad at my mate for a whole day because he forgot to take out the trash. Luckily, I realized how petty I was being and apologized for letting that interfere with us. I am not saying to let everything slide, but pick and choose your battles, as they say. Some things just aren't worth being mad about.
While you definitely should forgive and forget the small immaterial things, don't forget to do the little things for each other to show how much you care. Here are five small things you can do to let your special someone know you love him or her:
1) Create a list of the qualities you love about your mate. Write each one out on a separate piece of paper. Find different places to hide these little notes where you know your mate will find them.
2) Tell him or her how you feel on a regular basis. You don't need to have deep, mushy outpourings of emotion every day, but a simple heartfelt "I love you" at the end of a conversation will more than suffice.
3) Give your mate an unexpected foot rub or shoulder massage after a long day of work. This simple, physical connection is sooo appreciated.
4) Make a meal of all your mate's favorites--from appetizer to dessert.
5) Send an email or call your mate during the day just to say "Hi" and see how his or her day is going.
Please feel free to email me with your suggestions for more small acts of love.