Monday Marriage Moments {How to Inspire Passion}

-We love marriage just as much as we love weddings. Take a moment to prepare not just for the wedding, but for the marriage-

One of the pages I have bookmarked in my copy of Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrot has the heading “Cultivate Passion”. Passion is one of those misunderstood concepts that everyone has a different definition for, but we really believe it is simply an intense (positive) emotion towards each other that can easily be re-boosted when we reconnect. In their book the doctors say that in order to have romance and passion, you need to not just feel attractive but special. So how do we do that? They beautifully discuss each of the following topics, but since I am a type-A personality, I prefer bullet points and lists. Here are their awesome tips:

1. Affection

Affection aids in romantic feelings. Little things like touching his/her back or arm as you pass by, giving a random kiss or hug, holding hands, and of course, cuddling!

2. Positive Experiences

Associating each other with positive experiences we have together is always a good thing. Dating, having fun, going out to dinner, taking walks, going on vacation, ice skating, watching movies, whatever it is you enjoy together.

3. Give Compliments Everyday

Who doesn’t love a compliment? Compliments make us feel special. Anything from “That shirt looks nice on you” to “You are an incredible man/woman and I am so blessed to share my life with you.”

It is SO great to have a list of ideas like this to come back. Even though Paul and I actually did do this stuff before reading it, we do not always remember to do it as often as we would like to. So I love being able to refer back and remind myself of these super simple, easy to implement, and can-start-doing-right-now passion boosters.

*Carolyn

ps. Here is a photo we took of ourselves from one of our first dates at Hacklebarney Park in Chester, NJ