You may be thinking “The Date Jar”, that doesn’t apply to me. I'm engaged! Funny thing about dating is that it is often mistaken as an activity for single people. The truth is if you have a significant other that you just met online a month ago or you have been married to your high school sweetheart for over 50 years, dating your person is fun and meant for all stages of your relationship. So with that being said here is how “The Date Jar” works...
STEP ONE: Grab a jar or any container of your choice (a shoe box, a pen cup, or even a flower pot). Get creative!
STEP TWO: Begin brainstorming ideas of things that sound fun for a date.
You can do the classic date of going out to eat together at that new restaurant that you keep hearing people talk about followed by a slow arm-linked walk to the ice cream shop for dessert.
You can do a service-oriented date where you sit down together and write out a number of short encouraging letters to be left around town for others to find.
You could do an adventure date where you get in your car not knowing where you are going, write down 10 local waterfalls or hikes on slips of paper, stir them up, pick a destination, and go!
It can be ANYTHING!
(Side note) Not all the ideas have to be going out into town. With our current status of “stay home, stay safe” it’s ok to modify “The Date Jar” to in-home ideas! Now think of things you and your significant other can do at home. For my husband Zach and I, we will put our daughter to bed and then our stay at home date might be: popcorn and a movie, a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle and a yummy adult beverage, or even as silly as a game of MASH, Would You Rather? (we make up our own questions), or asking each other What is Your Favorite (blank)?. You’d be surprised how much fun you can have just spending time together and learning your person’s likes, dislikes, quirks, and loveable features.
STEP THREE: Write the ideas down on scrap pieces of paper and throw them into your jar! These ideas don’t have to be written down all at once. They can be thought of over time and added as they come to mind.
STEP FOUR: When its date time simply shake up your jar (that’s what we do), reach in, and select your date! It's fun, simple, enriching, and spontaneous.
STEP FIVE: ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH ONE ANOTHER! Even if it is not one of the ideas you thought of, slow down and enjoy the fact that your significant other came up with this idea and it means something to them. So relax and participate! I promise your relationship will thrive and be richer for the time spent together.
Oftentimes we get too busy or wrapped up in our own agendas to recognize that we have not been investing in what really matters, the people around us! So here is my encouragement to you INVEST IN YOUR LOVE, the reward is so worth it!
For more local Asheville date ideas check out: Asheville Date Night Guide blog for year round fantastic ideas in our area.