The importance of date nights in a marriage or relationship is huge. I recommend at least one a week. If you do not reinforce the primary relationship, there is no foundation to build the rest of the family on. Sadly, this is the the thing that often gets left out. We are too busy. We are too tired. We can’t find a baby-sitter. We can’t afford it.

With the stress and busy-ness of raising a family, it is easy to grow apart. All relationships need reinforcement. Relationships require shared experiences to keep them strong. It is essential for some of those experiences to be fun and romantic. This reinforces the romantic aspect of the relationship.

Otherwise your relationship becomes all work and no play and too business-like. You start feeling like roommates or co-parents. Besides that, it is no fun.

Ever wonder why this sort of thing doesn’t happen much anymore? I do. In earlier times, or even today in small, isolated towns, people had/have to depend on each other in order to survive. They did not have the luxury of living in social isolation and fenced-in yards.

The closest thing that I see in contemporary America is helping someone move or a church helping paint an elderly person’s house. I always make time to help someone move. People in those situations are usually needing help and feeling vulnerable. It is a great way to come together in a genuine shared experience. And, it let’s people know that they are not alone. That if things really got bad, there would be someone there to help. It is one of the most powerful ways I know to make a difference.

And… as things with the economy and the planet get more challenging, we may be heading full circle to a time that we once again have to rely on each other to survive. The truth is when we, as a people, start becoming self-centered, self-indulgent, and isolated, it creates societal or economic problems that force us to come together again. It is nature’s way of keeping us honest. It could be rather inconvenient. But maybe then, we might not feel so isolated, lonely, and at-risk. Maybe if we started now, things may not have to get as bad as they would otherwise. My friend has a truck…