Guest Post
By Spencer DeGraw, The Anniversary Inn
We love The Anniversary Inn and our association with them in helping to strengthen marriages! Be sure to take advantage of our “StrengtheningMarriage.com” discount with
The Anniversary Inn! Thank you Anniversary Inn
for helping couples have wonderfully romantic getaways!
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The Woman’s Conversation
I recently heard a conversation between two women. Woman #1 was complaining about how she’d been nagging her husband to fix a particular malfunctioning appliance around the house.
She was explaining how he’d “finally gotten the stupid thing fixed. I can’t believe it took him so long, it’s about time!”
Woman #2 listened quietly and then gently asked the first woman if her husband was still coaching their son’s basketball team. He was. She then asked if her husband was still volunteering with the youth program at their church. He was. She then commented that she was surprised he had any time at all to actually fix the appliance.
The Man’s Conversation
As I pondered this discussion, I wondered how often this type of conversation was taking place among wives. I tried to imagine a similar conversation between two men…
Imaginary friend #1 might say something like… “So, the Mrs. and I finally had the opportunity to be intimate the other night…. It’s about time!!”
I would envision the wise and concerned imaginary friend #2 asking whether the wife was still taking care of their three children. I would imagine she was. Then imaginary friend #2 would ask, if she was still cleaning the house and doing all the laundry while finishing the dishes (in addition to working a full-time job). I would imagine he’d say she was. Then imaginary friend #2 would comment that he was surprised she had any time at all to actually be intimate.
Seriously, two men would never really have this conversation, but I’ll bet more than one man has thought this within himself.
It’s About Time
Both stories share an obvious theme… It’s about time!
No, really it’s all about TIME!
It seems that the older I get the busier I get. I’m now driving the kids everywhere (…okay my wife is driving the kids everywhere). We rarely have all the kids together at the same time long enough to eat together. One child is off to music lessons, the other two are at soccer and Lacrosse, while the 4th child needs a ride to his minimum wage job.
Somebody is always on the computer. The TV is always on. We work long hours at the office, we have meetings at church, or spend time at the gym, or are busy picking up snacks for halftime.
When you stop and think about how much one-on-one time we get as couples anymore, it’s actually quite surprising that we even know what’s happening in each other’s life.
Couples Need One-on-One Time
When my wife and I first got involved with The Anniversary Inn, what was most intriguing was that we could provide someplace where couples could literally escape from the pressures of the world and just reconnect as couples.
Marriage is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and just like a marathon runner needs to stay hydrated, our marriage needs to receive regular nutrition and hydration as well.
This can only be done if we consciously take the time to spend time together. It doesn’t always have to be intimate (…wouldn’t complain if it was though!), but we need to spend time together, one-on-one, to catch up with what is happening in each of our daily activities, or to find out what is really going on at work. Or to share what is happening during our day. Or to hear what the kids are really doing all day long.
When was the last time you took a long walk, holding hands and saying nothing? It’s not about what you’re doing, or what you’re saying….
It’s about time! Spending time…together.
