For the longest time, movies and even television shows have presented women with an idealized version of what love and romance are supposed to look like. They show us grand romantic gestures, the airport chases, and the happy ever after sealed with a kiss.
Most people are aware that movies are, well, just fiction. However, they’ve still successfully saddled many women with unrealistic expectations of what being in love and being loved is really like.
These are the lessons social media blogger Heather Delaney had to unlearn when she married her husband.
Game changer
You see, Heather used to be one of the many women who believed that love is manifested in material things. She thought it could be found in flowers, chocolates, romantic dates, and getaways. For a while she was very unhappy because she didn’t see these ‘signs of love’ from her husband.
But she eventually learned to appreciate the ways he does show his love for her. Realizing that, according to Heather, was a real relationship game changer.
She enumerates the many sweet, simple things her husband does in a Facebook post she submitted to the website Love What Matters.
Although he rarely buys her flowers, he does call her after work every day. When he does, he thoughtfully asks if she needs anything from the store. He may never buy chocolates, but he’s thoughtful enough to surprise her with his organic and plant-based finds from the grocery store.
A love one can depend on
In the post, Heather talked about the many other positive traits her husband has. She admits that she had mistakenly overlooked them before because she was looking for different signs of love.
Although she may not get romantic dinners in candlelight she’s just as grateful for the cup of Sunday morning coffee he thoughtfully prepares for her in her favorite mug. She may not be able to rely on him to make travel itineraries, but she sure can depend on him to accompany her to musicals, museums, and libraries without complaints.
It seems that that’s what Heather was looking for and needed all along: a love that she can depend on.
Heather wrote:
“The flowers die. The chocolate and meals get devoured. And the surprise getaways happen, and then they’re over. But it’s in the moments that you can depend on (over and over and over again), well, that’s where the love is found.”
This is the kind of love she’d like to feel as she walks through life.
Little Blessings
And it seems that Heather is not alone in feeling this way.
Since she posted her story, it’s gotten over 350,00 shares and received 58,000 comments.
Going through these, you’ll see many other women have also shared their similar experiences.
A user, Lisa Blanchard, wrote about how she realized how blessed she is for the little things her husband does for her, too:
“I was just mentioning this the other day how he starts the car every morning puts on the seats warmers so I am toasty warm, I too get to sit in the car while he loads and unloads at home.”
But it’s not just the women who were able to relate to Heather’s post. Men have also told their stories. It seems love is still alive.
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