For some, it is far easier to give a gift than carve out time. We seem to have a scarcity of time. Everyone one is busy, even those who retire. I am not going to retire just so I have more time! For those who want to say, “I love you” with time, here are some ideas:
- When I spend an entire day with my wife, I shout to her, “you are important!”. We call these Day Dates. You do not need much money. You can hike, take a picnic, go to the beach, etc. One of our favorite Day Dates is driving the Columbia George Scenic Route in the spring seeing all the apple and pear trees in bloom by Hood River. We take the convertible, stop by the waterfalls, have lunch at Skamania Lodge or Hood River, then drive back to Portland over Mt. Hood.
- Something far more simple – set aside an hour each day to spend with your partner. No phones allowed. You might enjoy a sit down breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The key – uninterrupted time to concentrate on the one you love.
- How about a night of nostalgia? Spend time together looking through pictures or videos from some of your best memories.
- Spend a night building a Dream Board together. There is nothing more powerful than our dreams, especially joint dreams about the future together!
- You can surprise your partner and take them out to lunch.
- Give the gift of listening. One of the most precious gifts to your partner is listening deeply. Need some help? You might take the listening quiz.
- My wife and I have a faith background. The most important time we spend together daily is prayer. We have found prayer deepens our relationship like few other activities.
My hope for you is creating some habits of sharing time together. I know couples today who rarely see each other. So difficult to enjoy a healthy and thriving relationship when time is so scarce between the two of you. May this Christmas you find a way create space for each other daily.