A man is already halfway in love with any woman who listens to him.
Brendan Francis

 

How well do you know your husband?

This year we’ll celebrate our 30th anniversary and yet this week I learned something new about my guy.  That’s great because it opened up another way to show him how much I really love him.

Credit for my most recent discovery goes to Selland’s.
It’s a great little eatery near where I get my allergy shots.  I have to wait at the Doctor’s office 30 minutes after I get my shots, so I drop by Selland’s first and grab a little lunch to eat in the car while I wait and hope that there’s not an EpiPen in my immediate future.

They sell a wonderfully delicious Broccoli Salad made with just 5 or 6 ingredients.
Of course one ingredient is bacon so it qualifies as Man Food 😉
I brought home the leftovers and Gary found it in the fridge and ate the remains of the day!

When I got home he asked me where I got that great Broccoli stuff.

Will you be shocked if I tell you that I’d never made Broccoli Salad?
Suddenly I had real motivation.
So I cornered the market on broccoli, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and really good bacon for my culinary quest to make a salad that would rival the one I bought at Selland’s.

My first attempt was a flop.

I made the rookie mistake of barely cooking the broccoli.
It was OK the first day, but it couldn’t stand the test of time.  The next day it was, well, yucky.

Back to the cutting board and a second attempt.
Tonight I rolled out Broccoli Salad 2.0 and he loved it.

It’s a small thing, but love over time—like 30 years—is made up of lots of small things.

everyday kindnesses
simple attentiveness
tangible efforts

~and broccoli salad, don’t forget the broccoli salad.

Years ago, when women still ironed their husband’s shirts, a friend discovered that her husband appreciated her ironing a shirt for him each weekday, but really wanted the novelty of opening his closet on Monday and selecting from several already ironed shirts.

She listened and made the effort to say I love you enough to give you the simple pleasure of choice.

You never lose by loving.
You always lose by holding back.
Barbara de Angelis

What’s the last new thing you discovered about you man?
Now find a way to use that knowledge to say I love you, I care about your likes, I’m still paying attention to your happiness.

 

Feature Photo by Caleb George  https://unsplash.com