by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Many who know us say we’re like newlyweds even though we’ve been married 25 years. There are several simple little things we do to keep the spark in our relationship. 

How Do You Keep The Spark In A Relationship?

I think once anyone gets past the brand-newness of any relationship, there’s often a shift. Not in a bad way, but in a way that requires each partner to work at the relationship to keep it strong.

Now I realize that each relationship and even each personality within that relationship is different and what works for some won’t work for others.

But I thought I’d share a little about how RancherMan & I stay in the newlywed phase of our marriage even though we’ve surpassed our 20th wedding anniversary by several years.

Keeping The Newlywed Feelings Strong

Those who know us personally often refer to RancherMan & me as newlyweds. And I guess it’s true, I do still get a little tickle-in-my-tummy feeling just from seeing that oh-so-handsome man of mine.   

We are always holding hands or touching lightly on the arm because we just wanna be that close. 

And you know how some folks are afraid of spending a little too MUCH time together?  Nah, that’s not us. We actually prefer to be together.

Most Important Tip For A Strong Marriage: Serve One Another

To me, serving each other and putting the other first is a huge part of staying so much in love.

There are a thousand different ways in a typical day we serve each other.

• He Brings Me Coffee In The Morning

For instance, RancherMan often awakes before me. And when he does he closes the door to keep things dark & quiet in the bedroom so as not to awaken me.

Then he quietly sneaks into the kitchen and makes the coffee and pours a cup for me. 

So each & every morning that he is up before me, there’s a hot steaming cup of coffee on the night table next to the bed the moment my eyes open.

He’s done that from day one. It’s just a tiny way he serves me.

• I Provide Him Cooling Refreshment On A Hot Day

And if he’s out in the pastures on a hot summer day and I see him heading toward the house, I’ll hurriedly grab his oversized insulated tumbler, fill it with ice & filtered water & set it on the counter for him. 

That way he can have a cooling drink the moment he steps inside. It’s a tiny way I serve him.

• Serving Me: Opening My Car Door

There are so many other things too. RancherMan always (and I mean ALWAYS) opens my door for me. Even when it’s cold, or raining, or hot. 

Yes I’m perfectly capable of opening my own car door. But it’s a small way he serves me.

• Serving Him: Preparing His Shower

And at night I typically take the first shower. But when I get out of the shower I lay his towel and night clothes out for him in preparation for his shower. 

And when we’re getting ready for bed, I load up my toothbrush with toothpaste, then I load up RancherMan’s toothbrush too and set it next to the sink. It’s ready & waiting for him. 

Tiny? Yes. But representative of one of the many small ways we find to serve each other every day.

• Happy Marriage: Serving Each Other

We’re constantly starting our sentences with “Could I bring you …” or “Would you like …”  Whatever we can do to put the other first and serve them, we do it.

And who doesn’t love feeling that important to someone? I think that’s paramount in importance in our strong relationship. It’s Rule #1: We each put the other first and ourselves last.

How To Successfully Resolve Conflict 

I don’t believe RancherMan & I have ever had an actual fight. (yes, really) But we don’t always see eye to eye. 

Ya know when you’re self employed, each of you have a hand in the same job to earn the income required to run your household. And sometimes the visions for success on each side don’t match exactly.

RancherMan & I have certainly had our differences of opinion. Sometimes polar opposites! 

I mean, we’re not the same person – we’re gonna think differently sometimes. Here’s the way we work that out.

Each of us listens to the other’s point of view. And not just plotting out our response, but really listening. 

Then the other partner has an opportunity to voice their point of view. If there’s just no meeting in the middle, RancherMan & I typically decide whose way of thinking matters to them the most. 

Sometimes for one of us it’s just a preference to do something one way while for the other it’s much more important to them in this circumstance to do it their way instead. 

If it means more to me than to him, he concedes and we do things my way.  If it means more to him than to me, I concede. We have to be honest with ourselves here, but we’ve always been able to do that.

But it’s never a power struggle where we want to win just to say we won! Of course it helps that our #1 goal is to serve each other, so we never get into a battle of wills.

Happy Marriage Tip: Speak Kindly Even In Disagreement

This is important too. When differences of opinion are being discussed, it’s easy for a passionate point of view to alter our tone in an unintended way.

But we each remember that our tone of voice and the words we choose when speaking to each other can either be beneficial or counterproductive to resolution.

Think about how you would you feel if aggressive words or tone of voice were being aimed at you. You’d feel attacked, right? Even if that wasn’t the intention.

But doesn’t that just put you immediately on the defensive? Who’s gonna benefit with that? My guess is neither side. I guarantee your partner feels the same.

• Happy Marriage During Conflict: Being Heard & Understood

The words we use (and yes, even tone of voice) are important when dealing with differences. There’s no quicker way to turn the other side to deaf ears than an aggressive ‘My way or nothing’ speech. 

You’re partners. Speaking kindly to each other even during an impassioned conversation goes a long way in getting your opinion heard & understood.

Remind Them You Love Them, Scribble Messages of Love

Sometimes I write a quick note to RancherMan & tuck it into his coat pocket where he’ll find it some other time.

Or I write love notes using soap on the bathroom mirror. 

It’s just a short & sweet way to let him know I still think he’s da bomb. But it’s not just me whispering sweet nothings.

Sometimes RancherMan will text a sweet sentiment about how he misses me as he’s sitting in a committee meeting somewhere.

Or when he’s out in his hunting stand watching a gorgeous sunset, he’ll text a photo of that beauty along with a short & sweet love note to me. 

I think it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and take your partner for granted. These tiny little languages of love lets your partner know you’re thinking about them.

Share The Workload For A Happy Partnership!

To keep from feeling unbalanced with the workload, we partner up and tackle them together. For the most part, we don’t have specific his & hers chores. 

Yes, he typically mows the grass and I typically tend to the garden. But our daily chores are often done side-by-side and are pretty evenly split.

On laundry day he’s loading up the washing machine & hanging out the laundry just the same as me, often doing it together side-by-side. 

And when it’s time to prepare supper, he’s almost always in the kitchen with me dicing, slicing or cooking. And when supper’s done we’re both in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes.

On the flip side when it’s time to work the cows or mow the pastures, we’re both tasked with those chores too.

I’ll spend hours bouncing around the pastures on my tractor mowing or dealing with pasture weeds or fixing fences the same as he does. Again, often side-by-side. 

Having both of us involved equally in the chores means no one is left feeling like they do all the drudgery work. I mean, many hands make light work #amiright?

Plus I think we just like being together, so there’s that… 😀

Making Time For Each Other With A Busy Life

I get it. Life is busy, y’all! RancherMan & I work together running a 100-acre homestead. Bees, cattle, garden, chickens all vie for our time. Then there’s fence work, pasture work, home cooking and more. It seems there’s not enough hours in the day!

Still RancherMan & I carve out special time to focus on our relationship and our marriage. Maybe it’s dinner and a movie, maybe it’s a concert, or a fun fair. Sometimes it’s a Romantic Overnight Stay. 

But it’s planned and scheduled. We push work aside and spend time together on a regular basis.

I encourage you to read how we Find Time For Each Other In A Busy Life. It’s easy but it’s important, y’all!

Enjoying A Strong Marriage Relationship

So there ya have it. It’s just a few of the ways that RancherMan & I have enjoyed many years of wedded bliss so far, with many, MANY more to come. 

If you’re feeling frustrated by small things in your relationship, give a few of these tips a try and see if it doesn’t make a difference in your marriage too.

~TxH~

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