Families For Life | Extraordinary Marriages, Ordinary Lives
Some people seem to have extraordinary marriages. They are there for each other, seem perfectly in-sync emotionally and have deep and emotional bonds. They also seem to have extraordinary memories and experiences together. What allows them to make these connections?
The answer could very well lie in the choice to turn ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. You don’t have to achieve extraordinary feats of courage, sacrifice, achievement or skill in order to have an extraordinary marriage. If you are able to shift your perceptions and seize the moment, you can make an ordinary life; extraordinary.
See the Importance of Each Moment
You don’t have to save up for 20 years to go on a once in a lifetime trip around the world to have an extraordinary holiday. You could be on a staycation over the weekend, camping at East Coast as a family or joining your husband for a short weekend trip nearby and it could still become a special experience.
What’s important is realising that each of these events has the capability to become an extraordinary experience. What you need to do is remain present in the moment. Don’t think that you can only create a special memory under certain conditions, some of the best memories you may have of your spouse and children may take place in the playground near your home, or even centre around conversations you had as you commuted to work or school together.
Perceive the Extraordinary
Often, seeing beauty and inspiration can occur only when you find the ability to shift your perceptions. How many times have you met someone and thought there was nothing special about them, but then they said something or stood in a certain light or moved in a certain way, and suddenly you realised how beautiful and unique they really were? Many famous models were written off as looking “awkward” or “strange” before they were discovered. Many artists and composers were unappreciated initially because people couldn’t see the unexpected beauty in the work which they created. The same is true of life in general.
Approach each experience, even when it seems negative or ordinary by asking yourself these questions. Is there beauty in this experience? What can I do to make this enjoyable and memorable? How can I grow from this and how will this help me and my spouse in what we do with the rest of our lives?
Make Dreams Come True
Understand the dreams which your spouse has. Share your own dreams with them and build new ones together. Find a way to make them come true. Whether it’s to retire and tour the world, to start a small business, to play a musical instrument, to complete a marathon or to make a difference by volunteering, work together to make those dreams come true. Even though your dreams may seem ordinary to everyone else, finding the time, commitment and energy to achieve them together will make them extraordinary to you.