Date Night: Keeping the Romance Alive in Your Marriage
October 19, 2009
Last weekend my husband and I did a silly thing. We went roller skating. I don’t think either of had been on skates in 20 years or more. It was comical. Just us and the teenagers, who whizzed through us with ease and indifference.
But as we moved around the rink together, I felt a surge of love for him, for us. Our experiences that night reminded me so much of our relationship as a whole. Marriage really. It’s wobbly at times, scary, exhilarating, joyful and a little exhausting too. When we got tired, we rested. We poked fun at each other. We winced when one of us fell and helped each other up.
And we laughed and laughed.
I’ve been reading about the importance of play lately and what it means for our brains and our social and emotional development. Play is about exploring the world, testing the expanses of it and ourselves. It’s joyful and freeing. Playful experiences in relationships serve to insulate couples from those inevitable stressful times when life isn’t much fun. It gives us a chance to relax and be childlike together. It builds up the positive experiences to help offset the negative ones.
So, go roller skating or disco dancing or sledding together. Do whatever it is that makes you play like you did as a child. Laugh. Live. Your relationship will thank you.
