Thursday, April 17, 2008

THE IMPORTANCE OF DATE NIGHT















After a few years of living together, Mike and I realized that too many of our conversations revolved around household to-do lists. We realized that we needed to have more fun together, so we started to have Date Nights.

Friday night seemed like a good night for Date Night because it set a tone of fun and adventure for the whole weekend. (You might be familiar with the alternative: coming home at the end of the work week, and collapsing in front of the television.)

We opted for a few Free Fridays at New York museums like the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was fun to be around lots of other people who were also celebrating the end of the workweek and taking advantage of the free aspect of the experience.We'd start the evening with a meal at the museum cafe and then stroll around to look at the art (and the people).

Our most recent Date Night was actually a Date Afternoon. We went to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens to look at the cherry blossom trees in bloom. Mike had a membership so the only bucks I spent were a few on a hot dog and lemonade.

I realized that Date Night is a lot like Julia Cameron's idea of The Artist Date. The Artist Date is where you, the artist, take yourself on a field trip to some place that inspires you - could be a garden, could be a toy store. Date Night involves two people, though, and the adventures serves to fuel the sense of fun and adventure in a couple's weekly life. I figure we're more likely to remember the fun and interesting times we spent on these outings then the chats about bills, housecleaning, and such.

What are some of your ideas for Date Nights?

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