Playing together is as important to a healthy relationship as sex, respect, and trust.
By Alexandra Saperstein,LPC,LMFT, Portland,OR — Written on Jul 21, 2012
I don’t know who Rose Franken was, but she said the quote above and I wholeheartedly agree! One of my happiest memories from years ago is the time my boyfriend and I decided to put aside the argument we were having, hop in the car, and drive ninety minutes to Santa Barbara, where we spent the afternoon beside the Pacific Ocean on tandem bikes we'd rented, stopping only to gobble down drumstick ice-creams, hot-dogs, and pause when we were laughing so hard we could no longer pedal. We could have kept arguing about who was or wasn’t keeping up with their half of the kitchen chores, but life is short and what we needed most was to remember what life is really about, and that is to love and enjoy ourselves and one another.
With that in mind, how often do you and your honey actually have fun together? When was the last time you two actually treated yourself to a bona fide extravaganza of creative silliness? I’m not talking about a quick chuckle or ticklefest, but seeking out new ways to be silly and play together. In the decade I have now worked with couples, I can truly confirm that the happiest couples are those that insist on creating new opportunities to forget their age and really let loose and play together.
If you are out of practice, here are some ideas for you to consider. Please feel free to add your own ideas for the rest of us in the comments section. When you are done reading, this author commands you to go forth, and have FUN....
1) Find somewhere local to go skinny dipping! Pools, rivers, waterfalls, city fountains (shhh!), lagoons!
2) Rent a fancy convertible and drive around in costume- perhaps in Venetian carnival attire!
3) Have a “power outage.” Use no electricity all evening. Drink wine by candlelight, play hand shadows with flashlights, have a picnic by the fireplace, share stories.
4) Go to a fine hotel for high tea. Wear top hats. Refer to one another with your new royal titles you invent.
5) Pose nude for each other. Draw each other with jumbo crayons.
6) Find a drive-in and go in your pajamas. Bring your favorite childhood candy for snacks!
7) Go berry and flower picking at a U-Pick farm. Come home and fill your home with vases of flowers everywhere. Take the berries and make a cobbler together while you listen to great music or radio show!
8) Take a couples only massage class.
9) Plan a weekend “staycation” at a local hotel. Fill it ahead with flowers and chocolates on the pillow, happily surprising your honey with your thoughtfulness. Tell him/her to pack only enough for a night or two. Choose somewhere with room service and movies you can watch in bed.
10) Find an online photo site like shutterfly.com and spend an afternoon and evening making a jumbo custom album of your favorite memories. Fill it with photos, favorite quotes, stories. Scan cards too if you want. Order in pizza and make it a night. Finish by midnight and have it at your doorstep in a few days!
11) Go to a local amusement park or arcade. Ride the rides, eat cotton candy, win a goofy stuff animal for each other.
12) Invest in two plastic marshmallow guns, a bag of jumbo marshmallows, and have at it at the park! Don't forget a picnic basket for when you are all marshmallowed out and get hungry.
Have your own ideas? Do share them below!
This article was originally published at Alexandra Saperstein. Reprinted with permission from the author.