Date Your Significant Other and Get Healthy

by: Eve Mayer
My husband I have been married for 25 years and dated for 2 years prior to getting married, so I guess you could say I have a little experience in this department. People – well, mostly women -- think my husband is the greatest. Why? Because he takes me out for a date every week, without fail, unless there is some reason we cannot go out alone together and if that happens, he will usually make it up during the week. Now I’m not talking some big deal, just a dinner out or a movie, but it’s a night out for just the two of us, alone, no kids, no phones, no work. We hold hands, make eyes at each other, hug and generally act like teenagers. It’s super fun.

I have to tell you it wasn’t always this way. I used to feel very sorry for myself because my new husband never asked me out on dates. He would come home from work, plop down on the couch and ask what’s for dinner. I thought my life was over! I was 21. I was lamenting my plight to an older married woman and she told me how to make my husband successful and me happy. HOW? I asked most sincerely. First and foremost stop feeling sorry for yourself. Okay, check. Then decide what you want. She told me that we (women) are the leaders and the glue of the family; we are the happiness of the family. I could agree with that. So, I needed to decide what would make me happy. Well, I wanted my husband to take me out once a week on a date. Okay. Then in the nicest, sweetest voice, with so much love in my heart, I told my husband, “Honey, you know what I’d like to do this Friday night?” (I think I might have been kissing his neck at the time but I can’t be sure). “Mmmmmm, what sweetheart?” “I’d like you to take me out on a date.” “Hmmm, that sounds like it could be fun, what do you want to do?” “Oh, I was thinking maybe we could go to the movies and then maybe for a little drive.”

This is how it started oh, so long ago. I still say, “How about a date this weekend?” and he jumps right on board. Now he’s the one who comes up with all the ideas about what we should do. When special days are coming up, I remind him way ahead of time. The bottom line is I want him to be successful and I don’t want to have hurt feelings. He is a wonderful husband and I want to spend time with him. All I have to do to get what I want is tell him; no game playing. He is grateful for the reminder because he wants to make me happy and he likes being successful, he feels like a KING when he is and like I said earlier, we have Super Fun.