Monday, February 13, 2012

Valentine’s Day All Year Round?

It is here. Each year countless couples will go out on a date to celebrate Valentine’s Day. If you really look at the heart of it (pun intended), essentially they celebrating their relationships by buying gifts, exchanging cards, giving chocolate, having flowers delivered, and going out on a date usually to a restaurant. For a lot of couples, this might be one of the very few nights each year that they allow themselves to celebrate their relationship. Maybe if they are married they will celebrate their anniversary. So, if they are married there are two nights each year. If they have young children, maybe it is even less than that.

What if couples made it a point to celebrate their relationship once every three months, or once a month, or twice a month or weekly? I know it is hard to focus on each other especially if you are married with children or you have crazy work schedules or you are super involved in organizations or sports.

After our first son was born, my wife and I only went out on one date in nearly a one year span. After a while, it almost felt like we forgot how wonderful each other was and how much we appreciated time together. We didn’t purposefully stop doing things together, it just happened. And, it happens to many couples.

Fast forward to now. We will soon have three children running around but we have made it a point to somehow, one way or another, get out twice per month. At the beginning of each month we schedule our date nights in advance. We get out of the house together, just the two of us and reconnect. Sometimes it’s the standard dinner date, sometimes we kayak, or mountain bike, or shop, or we just wander around mindlessly. It doesn’t matter what we do, we get out together and celebrate being together.

Why not make it a point to get out with your significant other twice per week and celebrate yourselves? It doesn’t matter what you do, it just has to be something you can do together. If you are strapped for cash, just going on a walk or even sit on the back patio after the kids are asleep can be rewarding and refill your relationship.

Schedule time together purposefully and celebrate Valentine’s Day… celebrate your relationship all year round.

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