Baby Steps - Step 5 Higher ground

Okay now that you are smiling at everyone (you are right?), now it's time to understand how that effects your partner. You may not realize it, but you can become a buoy for your partner and vice versa. There is a reason why "for better or worse" is in the traditional wedding vows. This is true even if you are not married though. It can be true in a business partnership, a friendship or even parenthood.

Sometimes your partner will suffer through a bad day. Even people that are happy 99 percent of the time still have their moments! Yesterday was my birthday. I had cleared my afternoon so that I could have some great "me" time. Unfortunately, I had a situation arise that interfered with these plans. I felt myself slip into a grumpy mood for a moment as I contemplated cancelling all my plans and just dealing with the interruption. Then my sweetheart grabbed me by the hand and said "I've got your back. Don't let this spoil your fun. Let's find a way to work around it." Do you know in that brief statement he managed to put things instantly into perspective for me?

Of course he was right. We worked out a solution together, my plans had to change a bit, but I still ended up finding a way to enjoy the day surrounded by love and laughter. He offered me a boost up and I accepted. This is so powerful. Try it the next time you are dealing with a "crises". Remember that in retrospect those "crises" moments will only look like a tiny blip. Most of all you need to realize that if you are on the higher ground emotionally you need to offer your hand, and if you aren't you need to accept the hand that is given.