Fall in Love All Over Again

I'm no expert in the love department, but I do know that almost all relationships go through periods where love seems to be the last thing on the priority list. Maybe you even get to the point where you honestly think that you just don't love your partner any longer. When the fighting and stress of everyday life start wearing you both down, everything takes on a murky tone. However, you owe it to yourself and your partner to exhaust all the resources before you even consider calling the whole thing off, don't you think? Here are some ways to breathe some oxygen onto the embers, and spark up some flames again.

Let it go.

Forgive, forget, and move forward. While some things may require a touch more forgiveness and more time to forget, you still need to be put it where it belongs, in the past. Stop bringing up all the mistakes, stop making excuses to not love the one your with! The flaws do not make the man or the woman, they are just flaws, plain and simple. When you take vows of commitment, you promise 'for better or for worse', right? So, take the bad with the good, take each day as it comes, and stop living as if yesterday will never end.

Remember why you fell in love with your partner in the first place .

Take yourself back in time to the first time you laid eyes on each other. Recall that fluttery, tickly feeling you got in the pit of your stomach? What about his presence made you feel that way? What about her eyes made you blush? Hear the sound of their voice the first time they spoke to you. Remember the way he held your hand. Remember the first time you heard her laughter. Stop remembering all the bad things, and start focusing on all the things that drew you together.

Dig out the memories.

If you're having trouble remembering on your own, pull out the wedding albums, and the scrapbooks filled with all of the memorabilia that you've collected over the years. The Valentine cards, the Aerosmith concert stubs, the bar napkins, the Do Not Disturb signs. Let it all sink back in.

Get away together-alone.

No distractions, no kids, no time limits, no curfews. Take a road trip, don't even plan, just drive. Talk. Turn the radio down, and just talk again. Doesn't have to be serious or heartfelt, just converse. Get to know each other again. Start asking the questions you should have been asking all along. Rediscover what you've taken for granted.

Choose to be in love .

Think about how first being in love made you feel. Stop giving in to the temptation of holding grudges, and let go the urge to wallow in resentment. There are myriad reasons why you chose to spend the rest of your life with this person, and those characteristics are still there. All you have to do is dust off the negative crap and look at the big picture. What could you be doing if you weren't spending all your time picking petty arguments and complaining? Could you be demonstrating your love? Could you be making your partner feel like the special and significant person they really are to you?

Give sweet nothings .

Do you even know anymore what they like? What kind of music they want to hear? What they want to read? If not, make like a sleuth and figure it out! Surprise them with a random gift. Pamper him with a bubble bath and a massage. Cook her dinner and drink a bottle of wine together. Maybe it'll be awkward, but wasn't it that way to begin with? Pretend as though you've just started dating, if it helps. See your loved one in a new light.

Give yourself an extreme makeover .

Who hasn't let themselves go at one point or another? Ladies, dump the sweats in the hamper and dig out that low cut number he used to like so much. Do your nails. Put on some different makeup. Shave your legs? Gentlemen, I'm guessing you might have a nice shirt and pants hanging around. No need to wait for a funeral to wear them. While you're at it, retire that baseball cap to the hamper with her sweats! Wash the hat ring out of your cranium, and splash on that cologne that makes her claws come out!

Even if your relationship has dwindled into a serious state of disrepair, a point when the little things will no longer have any effect, there are still steps you can take to work it out.

· Set aside some time to talk about what's really going wrong. Hash out your differences, work through them, all with complete honesty.

· It won't happen overnight. Time and hard work will be what it takes to move towards each other again.

· Listen.

· If you can't forgive and you won't let them forget, maybe you have to ask yourself what it is you're really looking for.

· If it's gone beyond finding the love again, maybe it's time to seek counseling.