James and I really enjoy spending time together. We’re each others best friend. However, after coming out the other side of COVID restrictions and being in burnout recovery, the idea of going out and doing fun things seemed like a great idea, but also felt uncomfortable and even overwhleming. I’m sure so many people felt the same way about going out where other people might hang out after isolating for so long. (If you prefer video, scroll to the bottom of this post.)
So, we came up with a date-a-month idea to encourage us to get out and try different things and create new memories. Build and flex those dating muscles.
James gave me date coupons for Christmas that I can turn in whenever I like. They include things as simple as dinner and a movie, to a picnic and hike with the dogs at a near-by provincial park.
We’ve added other ideas in as well — taking in a live stand-up comedy show, attending a Nordic spa experience, and recently, gong bath meditation (also called sound meditation.) We even went on a double date with friends to a theatre play and dinner.
We always keep our eye out for new and interesting ideas to go on dates. This keeps that adventure alive, gets us out of our comfort zone, gives us things to talk about (not that we’ve run out. LOL.) It creates lovely memories.
Even when things don’t go as planned, that adds to the memories, and we find we talk about those times more often. “Remember the night we drove to five different restaurants to find one without an hour-long line up?” We tried so hard to be spontaneous in Las Vegas and renew our vows with Elvis (Cher, Elton, anyone!?). We thought it’d be hilarious. Turns out, you can’t do that spontaneously. You have to book Elvis ahead of time, he’s not just waiting around…. So even though that idea didn’t turn out, we have more fun telling the story of how hard we tried to be spontaneous at two different “love chapels.”
We certainly do more than one date per month, but we make sure to be intentional about a specific idea that “counts” as the date. The rest is bonus.
Date-a-month is one way that we are intentional in our relationship. What do you do to create memories in your relationships?
