Take It Up a Notch With the Dating Game
Are you growing a little antsy as the “Stay Home, Save Lives” mandates continue longer than most people expected? Now is the perfect time to turn up your creativity and initiate in-dates at home. Seize something ordinary, such as eating dinner and watching a movie, to create something extraordinary by “taking it up a notch” with a little ingenuity.
Some guidelines to keep in mind:
- Fun, laughter, and intimacy reign!
- Design in-dates with a theme or interesting variation
- Chose to be in the right brain mindset (creative and connected)
- Set an expectation for quality time together
- Respectfully be on time
- Be fully engaged – no distractions
- Calendar the occasion prior to the actual event
- In your “Date Book” record the theme, date and time of day, expected attire and meeting place
- Post in-date, jot down what meant the most to each person and any afterthoughts…
Kick start your dating game by finding a blank journal or throw some paper in a 3-ring notebook. The in-date initiator is in control, so let your imagination run wild! Let’s take a look at some real-life examples.
In-Date #1: Kiss Me With Chocolate
The inspiration for my first in-date came from the name of a song I saw on a CD during a local concert. The themed in-date, “Kiss Me With Chocolate”, took place on a Friday evening at 5:30 pm and the attire included wearing something the color of brown.
When my chocolate-loving husband ‘arrived’ in a brown shirt he’d dug out of the depths of his closet, the song “Kiss Me With Chocolate” was playing softly in the background. Taking in the candlelit table and yours truly, a slight smile formed at the corners of his mouth. Sitting down, he noted all the cuisine set on our finest tableware contained brown somewhere. Most notably was the secret family balsamic salad dressing, the mole sauce over chicken enchiladas, Kahlua chocolate fondue and French chocolate truffle torte along with chocolate kisses scattered across the table around the vase of fresh flowers.
Afterward, we built a roaring, crackling fire in the fireplace and giggled our way through an old Meg Ryan movie “French Kiss”. With no time agenda, the evening at home felt like a mini-vacation.
In-Date #2: Love, Life and the Perfect Game
Occasionally an in-date doesn’t end up as anticipated. “Love, Life and the Perfect Game” in-date began at 10:00 pm and our attire included a baseball hat. Settling in on the patio outdoors, we poured a beer for him and a glass of wine for me and set out a batch of buttery, salted popcorn, and filled a bowl with pretzels and nuts. Moving the two lounge chairs next to each other we snuggled under a sleeping bag as the summer evening turned chilly.
This romantic outdoor movie night, positioned under the brilliant stars splashing across the darkened sky, lent the perfect mood to view “For Love of the Game”. Alas, we had never seen this movie and actually are not sports people. Typically, our activities include Ballroom and Latin dancing or embarking on a kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or hiking.
Usually, when we pause to enjoy a movie together, we simply watch quietly. That evening the motion picture bored us to the point that we actually engaged in witty, running commentary that had us both laughing. What could have been a disastrous in-date, turned upside down into something hysterically funny!
In-Date #3: High In The Sky
An in-date can be spur of the moment like our “High In The Sky” adventure. We rented a manlift to repair leaks on the wind side of our house situated on a lake. By the second day, exhaustion set in and my husband said, “All work and no play… no way!” Suddenly the idea came to him for an in-date. He declared work grubby’s our attire, noted the time displayed 2:00 pm sharp and our stomach’s growled for lunch.
Grabbing trays of food, water bottles, and seat cushions, we placed our loot in the manlift bucket. Climbing in, my husband hoisted us up to a wobbly 65 feet high overlooking the lake. What a breathtaking experience! Sunlight rays warmed our souls and cloud shapes floated slowly by on a gentle breeze creating shifting shadows underneath the water’s surface. Ahh, life can be sweet at the most unexpected moments.
You Can Do This Too!
Everyone has the potential to be creative. Sometimes, all you need are a few suggestions to launch into adventures and in-dates of your own. Conscientious awareness of interesting themes develop into dating ideas and soon you’ll have a long list to draw from.
You can intentionally make this unprecedented, “Stay Home, Save Lives” season become lined with several precious recorded memories.
What are some of your ideas for in-dates? We want to hear from you! Answer in the comments at the bottom of this page.
Pamela Lovegren, founder of Well Traveled Pen, captures traveler imaginations, inspires an enthusiasm to travel and helps readers envision their next journey. Her expertise flows from extensive traveling and building her own successful business, to guiding small and mid-size companies on a firm path to excellence. Her experience ranges from resort management, leadership conferences, property management and business consulting. Pamela’s vision is to celebrate and encourage women 50+ who desire to live life with spirit and passion each and every day. To connect, visit her at www.welltraveledpen.com.
#3 was such a spur of the moment thing that truly brings the joy of being together with someone that much sweeter. Thank you for the inspiration during this time of unknowing and anxiety, that we still need to stop and relax and enjoy the things and the people around us more than ever. Cheers.
My Goodness Girl , your creativity is amazing!! This was a great read. You guys have so much fun. I always enjoy reading your writings. Lately our events have been Wally on one tractor or the Bobcat & me in the other tractor. We took out between 30 & 40 trees and the cutting of tree limbs & debris & clean up has been a way more than anticipated weeks of WORK.
Pamela, your writing is phenomenal! I find such enjoyment in every article I read; the content is fabulous!!!