Big little things
Tet had an incredible entry on Mark Macapagal’s piece called Doing the Little Things. In a nutshell, he talks about the value of little gifts in a relationship: listening attentively, for example. I share in his sentiment that though the grand things in life will always be well-appreciated, it’s those little things that can make or break a relationship — sticking it out when the going gets rough, being extremely patient, being there by just being a listener. I’ve always believed that the ordinary can be extraordinary, that the simple can be sweet.
Every night, I prepare H’s pajamas. I lay them out on the bed, alongside his underwear and his towel. I also prepare our nightly vitamins, placing the whole set (Vit E, C, etc…) in two little containers (his and mine). I hand this to him along with a mug of water to wash the vitamins down. I place a dollop of Close-up on his toothbrush before he prepares for bed. Little things, really. I don’t complain when I do them at all. I’ve gotten used to doing these, think nothing much of it, and assumed that it meant as much to him as it did to me — a nightly ritual of love and care. Turns out it was more than that to him. He told me that he loves telling his friends about how I take care of him, how I watch over him with even the littlest details. I didn’t know he noticed every little thing I did for him. It made me really happy.
Think about the last time you did something special for your hubby, your loved ones. Now think about the last time you did something ‘little’ that you didn’t think would generate such large results. Gifts don’t have to be grand. Sometimes, the warmest embrace or the sweetest kiss or pajamas prepared nightly are the grandest gifts you can give someone.
