My hubby is one of those men that is impossible to shop for. He goes out and randomly buys himself everything he wants, so come special occasions, there's nothing left to get for him. He doesn't like massages, is allergic to fragrances, does not wear jewelry, has no variation in his style of clothing, there's just nothing you can buy for this man. And when you do, it's never a surprise, he ALWAYS guesses what it is. Plus, as loving and caring as he is, he doesn't possess a single romantic bone in his body.
A while back I found out he had been holding on to a ragged little piece of paper, a note I wrote to him very early in our relationship, that was not altogether pleasant (those were some rough times) but confirmed the fact that I love him. I was amazed that he held on to it so long and was actually a little heartbroken, as I said, it was not an altogether pleasant piece of writing.
From that moment, I set out to give him something more representative of my love for him, and started a list of 101 reasons why I love him. I wasn't sure at first that I could actually come up with 101 reasons to list, but it came much more easily than I expected. It took me two days and two sheets of paper to make the list, and when I was done I found I could have kept on going, but I figured 101 was impressive enough lol
He was very surprised (which is a huge feat!) and wanted to share with everyone what I had done for him, except there were some very personal things on that list that just couldn't be told to others (like the way he touches me in intimate ways). I think I even detected a sense of pride in him that I would even list some of the things he does for me that maybe he thought went unnoticed. He even questioned me as to whether I started out with the goal of 101. He kind of questioned my sanity when I told him I did. It was like he fell in love with me all over again in a brand new way.
It turned out to be very therapeutic for me also, actually making the time to just focus on all the great things about him and all the little things that he does that make my life better for having him in it. I think we both gained a new appreciation for each other that day. It turned out to be a gift to both of us.
And now, those two sheets of paper have replaced that ragged, depressing little note I wrote him so many years ago. He still pulls them out and reads them now and then, when he thinks I'm not looking.