At a recent technology Meetup, I was chatting with a man who is the CEO of a big Internet Marketing firm. While he makes decisions every day about how to spend tens of thousands of dollars of his client’s funds on Search Engine Marketing, he was at a loss about how to spend his funds to take his wife on a date.
They had agreed to get a sitter and go out one night a week. Last time, she planned a picnic and brought sushi to munch on in the park. When he learned that I wrote “Intimacies,” he asked me for some suggestions for the next date, when it would be his turn to come up with an inventive plan.
Off the top of my head, I was at a loss for ideas. But I promised to give it some thought and send him email with suggestions. Here’s what he got:
You may recall my promise to send you some suggestions for memorable dates with your wife. It’s lovely that you two are making a concerted effort to delight each other with nontraditional plans. Of course there’s always things to do such as hearing live music, dancing of all kinds, taking a massage class for couples, renting a Kayak on Ladybird Lake, or….
When we chatted, I missed the opportunity to tell you that one of the chapters in my book is focused on the topic of dating rituals. It’s Chapter 28: “Courtship rituals and dating: Just hanging out or mating?” I hope you will please consider ordering my book from https://trueintimacies.com. You’ll find lots of other topics about relationships covered in the book. You can preview the TOC online at https://trueintimacies.com/pdf/contents.pdf.
A date in which you order in Chinese takeout, give the book to your wife, read some of the short chapters together and discuss one or two of the topics they raise, may be just the ticket.
The essay on dating that appears on page 149 my book, Intimacies, suggests going on a date to a Sculpture Academy that no longer is in business in Austin. But you might consider making a date to participate in any number of programs in art centers around Austin. My husband, Arye Shapiro, organizes life drawing (costume drawing) sessions at the Austin Visual Arts Association. There are dozens of life drawing events around town each month, and those might be fun for the two of you. You might even try drawing each other!
Or go together to a Yoga class. I’m going to be teaching Yoga this Thursday night, and I recommend my gentle class and all the classes offered in Barton Hills at the ATMA Studio Center. See my class listing at http://netingenuity.com/yoga. (Karuna is my Yogic name.)
Come to one of the monthly events I host at BookPeople. We get a mix of couples and singles and always have a lively, eye-opening conversation about relationships. Sept 17, the topic will be about taking risks in relationships. 7 pm-8:30 pm. More details on my blog.
