Love (Mental Health) by Mandy Whipple

LOVE (Mental Health)

by Many Whipple

Love is dirty. It is messy. It is wonderful, scary, painful, spectacular and any other set of contradictions one can think of. I have yet to meet an individual who has said love would be easy. Why else would the Bible have so many verses on love and offering advice on how to love correctly even during adversity?

As ranchers, farmers and others in agriculture, our lives are lived differently than those from the city, even down to the ways we love. There aren’t generally large gestures. It is the everyday little things which count. We still open doors, say “sir” and “ma’am,” and make sure the kids and critters are fed before we feed ourselves.

We spend our days fixing, mending and working our tails off to ensure the world will eat. We have church clothes and work clothes. Many days, those are one and the same. We understand the heifer needs help calving and everything stops to get that done. Farm comes first.

Why? Because we love our critters. We love our kids and we love our way of life. With all the hustle in our daily lives, the love we show our spouses sometimes gets lost. I mean, do we even know how our spouse likes to be loved? Are we loving them how they need need? Are we meeting their needs? Are they meeting ours? What’s the answer?

Take a walk on the wild side and learn about the five love languages and what they can bring to your relationships. I promise you will not regret it!

Everyone has a dominant love language and a sub-language or two. This love language is oftentimes different from one’s spouse’s. If you learn what your spouse’s love language is, and they learn yours, even on those rough days, weeks and months we all experience, you can fulfill each other’s need for love in ways you may never have thought of before.

The 5 Love Languages are as follows: Words of Affirmation Acts of Service Receiving Gifts Quality Time Physical Touch

Truly understanding what your spouse or significant other needs can be a life-changing event for a relationship. We all think we know, but do we really? Feelings can be so hard to express in words, especially when one does not know how.

This last year has been especially hard on many in the ranch, rodeo and agricultural communities. I encourage everyone to surprise their special someone with the book The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. Even if you already have a wonderful relationship, it can always be improved. Take the quiz, read the short book and watch the transformation in your relationships (Chapman).

Chapman, Gary. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, Reprint ed., Northfield Publishing, 2015