Love Dare - Day 2

The second dare is a continuation of the first with the addition of acting out kindness. Acting kind is also something that I have been working on, and was much easier to do that I expected. It doesn't require grand acts, it can be done many times a day in small ways. I find it enjoyable not only to do something for the woman I love, but I also enjoy accomplishing things even if they are small in the grand scheme of things.

The second Love Dare is:

Love is kind

In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

I tried to do more than I have been, I took care of the dishwasher in the morning and set it to start running shortly after everyone gets up for the day. I put away the clean dishes and organized the kitchen some. That night I made dinner for everyone (beef and pea pods over rice) and timed it for when Courtney would get back from errands so we could eat together. I waited a to make our plates few extra minutes so that we could actually sit down together, and refilled her water just before she got home so it was ice cold.

Everyone really enjoyed dinner, despite using two pounds of steak and almost three cups of rice there was only enough left for a small lunch. Everyone had two servings, so I guess I know what to put on the favorites list!

Love Dare - Day 1

After a little bit of back and forth over how I should approach it, I have decided to start on "The Love Dare". I had a few reservations due to the religious nature of the book and the preaching is very heavy in some parts, but if you can get past that the message and method is sound.

Some of the dares are very personal, so I may not post what I have done for each. But I will post the days dare, minus any overtly religious content that is supplied with it. I am also planning to skip or replace the days that say no more than "pray" or "read the Bible" as they are not directly related to my goals here.

Before each dare there are a few pages of direction and clarification about the meaning of the dare and how it pertains to a healthy relationship. If you intend to pursue "The Love Dare" yourself I recommend purchasing the book for the additional information it provides.

I started two days ago, here is the first dare:

Love is patient
The first part of this dare is fairly simple. Although Love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you'll regret.

There isn't a lot to say about what I did and how I did it. It is something that I have been working on already as one of the basic tenants of having a better relationship. I did make sure to let Courtney know when I was happy about something she did or said, and made an extra effort to compliment her.

I'll add day 2 later today, and try to keep the updates within a few days of when I complete a dare. While the idea is to complete the 40 dares in as many days, real life often interferes. I'm not sure a real schedule applies, I'll be playing by ear.

When to travel

One thing I want to do more of is travel. I have always wanted to travel the world but it is expensive and hard to find the time to do once you have full time employment and a family to torture...I mean bring along with you.

There is a lot to see in the US still, although some of it I want to wait until Austin is old enough to remember the trip. Long trip to the Grand Canyon for him not to remember he was there! He will be old enough soon though.

Other trips I would like to go with just Courtney, though quite a few I suspect she may prefer I go alone. I'm not sure how keen she is on climbing the side of a glacier in Iceland or visiting the Maya ruins on the Yucatán peninsula.

I'll have to keep all this in mind as I plan our summer, I think everyone would like to go someplace new. The map below has a good number of the places I would like to find myself someday.

Go easy on me...

Change

I sit here
forlorn
anxious
frightened

Suffocating myself
with thoughts
with imagination
with speculation

I wish to be free
to contemplate without fear
to experiance without suffering
to dream without apprehension

I will awake to a new life
released of baggage from the last
I will open my eyes to a new world
that is bright and fresh and unfamiliar

There is happiness
and forgiveness
and family
and Love

I sit here
unafraid
tranquil
joyful

Music I like

Just a fast post, I have plans for another later.

This song spoke to me this morning, which is surprising as it is not my normal fare. It was the lyrics that did it for me, but it has a decent tune as well. Very catchy.

Here is the Veronica's with Untouched.