Second Cup: Little ways to say 'I love you'

Flowers are great, but so are these ideas

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is about little ways you can show your love
to the important people in your life. The rose industry
always does a booming business right around February fourteen, which

(00:25):
is Valentine's Day, and those places that celebrate this holiday
of romantic love, and certainly a big bunch of roses
can send a romantic message. Though my husband and I
joke that because our anniversary of meeting and also of
getting engaged a year later is February fifteen, we can
conveniently show our love with heavily discounted Valentine's Day merchandise.

(00:47):
But there are lots of creative ways to show love,
and not just on Valentine's Day but through the year.
Many of us are on our phones all day anyway.
A quick affectionate text to your partner or kides can
turn your phone and theirs into something more than just
a source of stress. Or you can write a real note.

(01:08):
A few words on a sticky note put on the
bathroom mirror can bring a smile to someone's face. Flowers
on Valentine's Day might be expected, but flowers on your
average Tuesday are not, So pick up a small bouquet
at the grocery store or even the gas station and
add a little beauty to the next time you say hello.

(01:28):
Other little gifts can work, too, like picking up a
book at the library that you know the person would enjoy.
Part of saying hello is actually well saying hello, and
increasingly I believe that one of the best gifts we
can give people is the gift of full focus. So
put the phone away for a while, ask someone a
question and really listen to the answer. You can also

(01:50):
show your love by allowing the other person to listen
to you saying something nice. Pretty Much everyone loves being
complimented in front of other people, and this is great
when you in a multi person conversation. But I think
it's even nicer if the person accidentally overhears you say
a kid while you're talking on the phone with Grandma
or your spouse when you're on the phone with a friend.

(02:13):
Since the person doesn't know for sure, if you know
they're listening, it comes across it's more authentic. Sometimes the
best gift you can give is letting someone off the hook.
If you know the other person is really dreading an
event or a particular chore like calling customer service. Offer
to take this off their plate.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
You'll attend the family event, you'll call to file the complaint.
Lots of couples with young kids split who wakes up
early with them on weekends. But if you've not made
an explicit split, offer to do it someday and let
your partner know ahead of time so he or she
can relish the coming rest. When I've written about some
of these ideas in the past, I've often heard from

(02:52):
readers or listeners who remind me about Gary Chapman's book
The Five Love Languages. And you know, we can assign
too much stock to strict frame works, but it is
true that certain ways to show love register more with
some people than others. Some people get excited about fancily
wrapped gifts, and some people are more physically affectionate for

(03:12):
someone else. Vacuuming out the car is the equivalent of
a dozen roses, So it might be worth noting how
your partner tries to express love to you, because that
might hold clues about how he or she would like
you to express love. But in any case, when you
study the research on human happiness, it's pretty clear that
a bunch of little things often out weighs one big thing.

(03:36):
We get used to much, and the glow from a
big present well very cool, don't get me wrong. May
fade to baseline over a while, but learning again and
again how much you are loved makes every day seem
like a gift. So how do you to express love creatively?
You can let me know at Before Breakfast podcast at

(03:56):
iHeartMedia dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then
Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an email at
Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

(04:45):
is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
MHM