Joy feelings magazine | Page 68

to new, exotic places. Whatever your dream, you can create a plan now to start making it happen. Use your history. Remember those things you did when you were romancing your new love? Make a list and do them again now, suggests Paul N. Weinberg. He is the coauthor of The I Factor: Simple Insights for Connecting in Your Personal Relationships. "It could be as simple as a way you kissed your partner on the cheek or as elaborate as the effort you put into a special date." A healthy long-term relationship is something to be proud of, and couples need to celebrate that. Make it clear to family and friends—and especially to each other—that your relationship as a couple is the most important relationship in your life. Don’t Take Your LongTerm Relationship for Granted "The mistake most couples or one person makes is they're so much in love with their partner that they assume the relationship will last forever," says Robert Billingham, an associate professor in Indiana University Bloomington's Department of Applied Health Science. "They don't think it is something they have to work on." Identify your relationship's strengths, then build on them, say Les Parrott, III, PhD, and Leslie Parrott, EdD, husbandand-wife founders of the Center for Relationship Development in Seattle. Know what works well in your relationship and do more of it. Dream big. Envision a future together than inspires you. Maybe it's a home bustling with a big family or vacations 68