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The cure for the common grump? - Thoughtful Gifts.

I had a bad day.  Hours of overtime, confusing meetings and colleagues stressed-out with uncertainty.  All-in-all a rather grump inducing time.  That was until I got home…

When I arrived home I took off my coat and headed to the kitchen, tossing a falsely cheerful “Hi honey.” at my husband.  I had a plan you see; I was going to make dinner, do my chores and grump my way through a few dozen chocolates.  That plan changed however when my husband’s voice answered, “So you had a bad day huh?”

His acknowledgment of my hardship was enough on its own to make me smile.  He had after all just demonstrated that he had not only read my e-mail (complaining about my day) but was risking a whole ranting conversation about it.  I turned to say thanks when he repeated the phase, flowers in hand.

Sigh.  He knew I was unhappy.  He knew he couldn’t solve my problems, and he knew what I really needed…to feel appreciated and loved.

He’s wonderful, and mine.  Grump over.

Writing Exercise:

Did you ever hear the song “Sixteen, Beautiful and Mine”?  In this wonderful little ditty the singer praises the one they love.  They are peaches and cream, strawberry wine, an angel divine…sixteen…beautiful…you get the picture.  Writing about the one you love might seem easy on the surface but when we start “counting the ways” our emotions can get in the way of the words.  To help you get beyond the emotion to the real reasons you fell in love (kind words, physical beauty or a way of knowing just when to bring flowers) try word association.

Start with the name of your love.  What is the first word that comes to mind?  No judging, no debate, just the first word.  Write the word in the middle of a blank page of paper and then without any focus on the person, associate with this new word.  What does that word mean to you?  What other contexts have you seen the word used in?  Spend five minutes making a mind-map (like a spider-web of words) linking back to your first word.  When you are done choose five of these words or phrases at random.  These words and phrases will become the backbone of your writing about the one you love.  The finished product could be a poem, or a story inspired by your love, or simply a journaling exercise in gratitude for the one you love.  Aim to spend twenty minutes writing about the person who makes you sigh.