Tending to a Relationship

We are surrounded by relationship advice. If you subscribe to lifestyle magazines there's a chance there will be a relationship article buried somewhere in those pages. Especially if you're an avid subscriber to  Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Glamour magazines like I am.  The internet is also filled with relationship articles. There's always something on Yahoo's, MSN's or AOL's homepages. So before checking my e-mail I'm bound to check those articles out. Now some people might not see the point to all these articles and don't see how they apply to their relationships. But I think that even if you don't take away any specific bits of advice you should still realize, after reading such articles, that relationships take a lot of work. That's why people write these articles. They're basically like instruction manuals. You wouldn't build something without consulting the instruction manual so why would you be in something so complicated as a relationship without having some basic advice? Yes, relationships are extremely complicated. It's almost a paradox. Something that makes you so happy is just so damn hard sometimes. But nothing in life is easy and I think that sometimes the best things are the ones that you work hard for. And relationships need a lot of work. Think of your relationship as a garden. Gardens are beautiful but they take a lot of hard work. Lots of sweat and energy gets poured into maintaining a healthy and beautiful garden. The same is needed with a relationship. You can't just relax and let it take its course thinking that if this is the right person for you then you don't need to put in an effort. Of course you need to put in some effort. As soon you become lax in your relationship your partner will start thinking that you don't care. Because when you care about something you work hard for it. When you want a great looking body you go for it and you work out hard and eat right. When you want a great career you go out and pursue it without giving up. So if you want a great relationship why would you sit back and not do anything? Sure the relationship was perfect for you in the beginning. Everyone feels that way but eventually all relationships get old. But that doesn't mean they can't be good anymore. People just need to stop delusional and think that everything should feel the way it did in the beginning. Once you let go of that notion and realize that those feelings of newness and excitement can't be recreated unless you find someone new, then you can go on and start making what you have even better. For me the small things count. Texting me randomly to tell me that you miss me make me melt. Sending me funny things in an e-mail to cheer me up are greatly appreciated. Surprising me with small gifts like my favorite chocolate would show me that you still care. There are so many little things that you can do to make your relationship better and show your partner that you care. The advice is out there. All you need to do is start paying attention to it. I've always heard that doing good things for other people makes you feel good. And while I've never really considered it before, I understand it now. Doing small things for my boyfriend, whether it's showing up to his house with his favorite drink or sending him a text reminding him that a show he likes to watch is on tonight, really does make me feel better. And it shows a certain thoughtfulness. 
If you don't pay attention to anything else you read on relationships, make sure that you at least remember this. Just like not watering your flowers will cause them to die, neglecting your relationship and forgetting the small things that make the relationship strong and happy will ensure  its end.