Connection is the energy that exists when people feel seen, heard, and valued, when they can give and receive without judgement and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.
Brene Brown
We humans crave relationships that fill us & make our lives better. Studies show that the more time we spend with one another, & the more vulnerable we are with them, the better we are able to create deeper, more meaningful relationships.
How do we create these kinds of relationships when life is so full of responsibilities, dreams & goals? While it might be tempting, wedging relationship time in between tasks is generally not ideal. Our relationships deserve the best of us, not what is left of us. So, if we want meaningful, joyful connections, we need to use intention to create quality, prime-time relationships.
It’s important to understand that there is no wrong way to create great connections. And sometimes we need to be really inventive & creative in order to find quality pockets of time. I know from experience that this can be done in so many ways.
Here one example – Create a DATE JAR filled with a range of activities you can do when you have down time. Start by making a list of things you enjoy doing on your own. Have your partner do the same. When making your lists, include activities with various time allowances. For example:
- drinking coffee on the back porch
- bike rides
- reading books
- creating art
- mini weekend trips
- writing in a journal
- walks in nature
- blowing bubbles
Many of these activities are versatile & can take 10 minutes or a couple of hours. When you both have finished your lists, discuss your preferences with each other. If you both agree you like to do the same activity, write it on a slip of paper & throw it into the date jar! Then, when you have a pocket of time available to do something, you pull an activity from the jar & enjoy!
To make things even clearer, you can color-code the activities. Maybe shorter activities are red & longer activities blue. Or Partner A is green & Partner B is purple.
Also, don’t just limit the Date Jar to your significant other. You can do this activity with children, grandchildren, friends and/or anyone you’d like to spend more intentional time with!
Bottom Line: The goal is to find more ways to engage with each other…ways that you BOTH enjoy!
Best wishes for a beautiful thriving life & relationship!
If you’d like to connect with Marie, feel free to email or call her at 208.284.3437.