Harvest Your Relationship

You give and you give. In honor of tonight’s Harvest Moon (though you can do this any time, really) it’s time to take something back… and make your relationship stronger.

When you picture late night strolls and stolen kisses against a backdrop of the brightest moon of the year, it’s not hard to see why romantic love is prominent in almost every harvest moon celebration. Love is in the air, and the world celebrates romance alongside the good fortune and abundance of the harvest season. You might consider celebrating your own relationship in that same spirit.

You’ve invested a lot of hard work in your connection to one another. You’ve built trust and intimacy; you’ve learned how to argue without wounding one another and how to respect each other’s vulnerabilities. But now that you’ve put the work in, it’s important to harvest what you’ve built together. Enjoy your partner. Harvest the benefits of your commitment to one another so your relationship will continue to thrive. So often being together is about giving. Remember that relationships are about taking, too.

Take time
If you’re always waiting until you have a little more time to really concentrate on your relationship or get a little time alone together, it will never happen. Take the time you need each day to feel like you’re doing justice to your relationship. If you need to discuss something, to plan something, or just make more room in your schedule for him, take it now. You both deserve to take the time to get what you need from your relationship.

Take comfort
Rely on your partner, so that he knows you trust him and can feel comfortable doing the same. Let him know what’s on your mind, and tell him about your hopes and fears for the future. It’s difficult to be vulnerable, but it’s a step you eventually have to take if you want to share intimacy. Allow yourself to be heard and comforted. He may try to offer advice (he is a man, after all). Listen anyway. It’s his way of listening and offering support.

Take help
Just as it’s hard to reveal yourself verbally, it’s hard to ask for help and sometimes even harder to accept it when it’s offered. But one of the reasons you’ve built this connection with one another is so you’ll have each other’s support there when you need it. You know you want your S.O. to trust that you will come through when he needs you and you wouldn’t want him to fear your judgment. You don’t need to give up your strength or your autonomy; even the most independent people need a push, a hand or a word of advice from time to time. Far from making you weak, relying on one another can make your relationship stronger. Let him be there for you and be ready to do the same for him.

Take heed
Listen to what he says, with both his words and his actions. They’ll tell you what you mean to him, what he sees in you and what he needs from you. Pay attention; you might find you have more to harvest than you thought.

Take a trip together
It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be long. But if you’re at a point in your relationship where you’re ready to spend a couple of days alone together, take them! Spending quality time with each other away from the distractions of your lives can help build intimacy and give you time to just enjoy each other.

Take a moment
…to remember why it’s all worth it. What is it you love about him, and how is he like no one else in your life? In your day to day it’s easy to forget, but take a moment and enjoy all the reasons you’ve chosen him.