Listening lubricates marriage and keeps down the friction. How we spend our time reveals what is really important to us. Successful couples spend time together. They read the Bible together. They develop shared interests, like bowling, reading, hiking, or plays.
Successful couples touch each other.
They hug, squeeze, embrace, pat, hold hands, put arms around each other, and sit close enough to touch when sitting in front of the tube. Non-sexual touching leads to genuine intimacy. They enjoy sex, and often. Encouragement is the food of the heart, and every heart is a hungry heart. Our mate has an emotional bank account into which we make deposits and from which we make withdrawals like being grumpy when we get home from work or encouraging our spouse when they feel down.