You can’t stand it when she leaves her makeup on the counter.
When she overcooks the lasagna.
When she lets the dog on your Grandmother’s couch; when she wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.
When she looks at you cock-eyed.
Hell, you’re frustrated by just about everything.
What you fail to realize—what you so very desperately need to realize—is that your frustrations really have nothing to do with her, at all.
You’re in a rut, superstar.
And you’re projecting your frustrations, your inadequacies, and your anxieties onto her.
Now, before you panic—just as the light bulb in your brain goes off—
–relax.
We all do this from time to time.
We’re men, after all.
The solution, obviously, starts (–as you probably figure most things do–) with you.
Specifically, how you view her.
The everyday things—the lasagna, the dog and Grandma’s couch—signify that you need to shake things up; to get away from the routine you’ve fallen into, and the focus it has made you put on the (perceived) shortcomings of your partner.
A couple of dates outside your comfort zone will have you viewing her in a different light, as you re-discover (–or discover–) aspects about her you forgot or failed to see before.
Say you like going to the movies.
Screw the movies.
Take her rock climbing instead.
Say you love a picnic in the park (–and yes, it’s okay to admit that–)
–bet you’d love a picnic on a rented sailboat even more.
Say, (–because you will, initially–) that you don’t have the capital to be making wild, extravagant plans right now. Say the last quarter hit you harder than Billy in seventh grade, and your budget is tighter than the drawstring on her trackpants.
Loosen them up with creative, inexpensive dates.
A weekend away, but at a bed-and-breakfast instead of the Hilton.
Zip-lining a cave instead of swimming with dolphins.
Bottom line, there are options out there; best of all, your creativity will yield unexpected results, and help you to see other aspects of your partner.
Who knows—maybe she’ll even get over the million things she dislikes about you.
