Maybe your relationship began with the giddy intoxication of falling in love. Maybe your relationship had to sneak up on the two of you until you finally said, “This is it! This is LOVE!”    No matter how it started, at some point everyday life and all the mundane responsibilities that go with it begins to take a toll, and some of the luster starts to look a little tarnished, a little worn, a little tacky and boring.

 

Since it’s inevitable, what can you do? One thing is to stir up a little romance by shaking up the routine. Perhaps you and Mr. Man have gotten to the point where you’re sitting around in ratty sweats (or worse) eating take-out in front of the tube most nights or weekends.  Unless that feels like the pinnacle of bliss for both of you (and if it does, wonderful!) it’s time to take some action. Plan a date night and go to that restaurant you’ve been meaning to check out.  Buy the take-out, but bring it home and eat at the dining room table on real plates, with real flatware, and heck – light a few candles and crack open a bottle of wine.

 

There are lots of ways to jazz things up so that they feel fun and “new” again. But there are other steps you can add to the dance too, and these might be less familiar but just as important for keeping the flame of love burning brightly and steadily.

 

·         Take the Zen approach

Be entirely in the moment, however mundane. Rather than cluttering up your mind and spirit with chatter: “I need to lose 10 pounds, he needs to lose 10 pounds, why don’t we ever go anywhere, he never folds the laundry right, I don’t feel like scrubbing the toilet…” Just take a few deep breaths and do whatever it is you’re doing. There’s a peace that comes from being in the moment that can transform even the most mundane action into a moment of transcendent peace, serenity and appreciation.

 

 

·         Take the Long View

Maybe those nights of champagne and roses have gotten a lot fewer and farther between as time has marched on. I’m all for champagne and roses, but what about some of the other experiences you’ve shared? If you have a child, what about the nights you stood together over his crib, watching him sleep? You might have wept together over the loss of a beloved parent when the time came to say good-bye, and drawn strength from the loving presence of your man or woman. Maybe he took your hand and quietly held it when you had a bad day at work. Or remember the time you prayed all night when waiting for his medical test results to come back and assure you both that you’d still be together for a long time to come.     

 

 

There are a lot of steps to learn in the Life-Together dance. Some are simple and some are intricate, sometimes the lead partner changes. You even step on each other’s toes once in awhile. At times you feel like Fred and Ginger, at others you feel like the also-rans who never made “Dancing with the Stars”.

 

May you forever dance.

 

Love and peace,

Dona

 

Destiny Tarot® Copyright 2007 by Dona C. Murphy. All rights reserved.