Love Dare Day 27 Great Expectations

      "You must choose to live by encouragement rather than by expectations."
      In stead of nitpicking, and trying to change your partner, instead of focusing on what is wrong with them. Encourage them. The Lord knows, I nitpick. I need to choose to find ways to lift my husband instead of pushing buttons. Even if he pushes my buttons, I shouldn't push his, not even at all. I want find my best self and can't do it with someone pushing my buttons, let alone pushing someone else's buttons. And if Bert and I both take this dare seriously than any other dare, through positive encouragement we can totally leave out the nagging all together. I want to be the best wife for him, and I want us to have the best relationship minus the nagging.
     I am a pack rat. Not a hoarder. Just, I like to save little momento's. Bert knew this when we got married. He recently laughed and said, you even saved the hotel room keys? Now, was he politely nagging and trying to tell me to throw them away, or was he surprised that I saved them?
     Bert might say, I'm a slob. There is a difference between a slob and someone who saves nick nacks. When I first met Bert, he had a clean freak ocd. I changed that. I like clean. I don't like clutter, but clean. Our dining room table is taken over by stuff, and our kitchen counter is taken over by stuff. When I first moved it, it was not this bad. I like to hold on to memories ect. keep them for as long as I can.
     However, Bert knew what he was getting into. He doesn't nag me too often about. But I do have to take a little extra time going through it when I clean. But I do need to let one of these obessions go and just give it to God. I really don't think I need to keep each movie ticket, or each hotel room key... do I?
     I know this is the one thing that Bert wishes to nag about, even though he doesn't do this often. But I'm choosing to let this one thing go about me. I'm going to release it from me, take it off my shoulders Lord. Remind me, that's why we have trash cans!!!! It's an on going thing for me, to save the memory, or save the night, I even save wrist bands from concerts !! I have so many of those in my car!! But I need to just let it go!
     I think if I go through and really clean then Bert will see that I've had a changed heart from the Love Dare. I will do this for him. He didn't really put any great expectations for me to be a neat freak like him. But I know he didn't expect a memory savor!!!! lol. I think to solve that issue, I'll save some money and get a scrapbooking kit. I have a box I can put some of the momento's in now. PROJECT!!
     The only hope or great expectation I have of my husband, is that I hope his music slows down for a bit. Just for a bit. A pause for the cause. I'm expecting too much on this issue. He says, we met doing it. But I was rather pleased hearing Bert tell Bob, I think I'd like to get a church band together. Sighs! Now that would be very neat to do one Sunday out of the month. I'm looking forward to the things that God will do for my husband and his music talent. Being it in a bar, or church. I'd rather it be in church. =)
     I will say this, Bert does help out around the house a lot and he doesn't expect me to do everything. We serve each other; well we give it a shot anyway for the most part. When I'm behind on dishes or laundry he helps  me out, when he is behind I call and ask what I can do for him at work. And I get it done when I can. I have long since eliminated unrealistic expectations; in fact, I don't live in a dream world, and my movie might not end with "Happily Ever After..." but some days do, and some days don't. I don't pay attention to detail when it comes to things like that. I know when he comes home from work he is sleepy. I try and manage on my own. He sees it's the best I can do. He does give me words of encouragement time to time. Just sometimes he doesn't take time to notice because he is sleepy, and I've accepted that.
     I know the Love Dare is changing him, just he other day I mopped the kitchen. He tracked in mud from his shoes. He found himself saying, I'm sorry for tracking in mud on your clean kitchen floor. He noticed. Words of encouragement!! He then went and mopped up the area he had tracked in. Made me fell loved that he took the time to notice the small things!! It's the small things that count!!! Like, words of encouragement, not great expectations!