The Discipline of the Weekly Date

Welcome to my living room, grab a coffee and imagine this: when was the last time you scheduled a date together with the exact same seriousness as a dentist appointment or a key business meeting? Often, we buy into the romantic myth that fun and intimacy in marriage will just happen spontaneously. We think that, in some magical moment, between paying bills, working, and daily exhaustion, we will miraculously have free time. But let's be honest, free time never just appears in adult life; time is created and prioritized.

Solomon, in all his wisdom, gives us a direct and beautiful command in Ecclesiastes: 'Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love.' He does not say 'tolerate life,' or 'survive life paying off debt together.' He calls us to intentionally enjoy each other. However, logistical routines have a suffocating power. If we are not careful, we go from being lovers and best friends to being mere 'business managers' who run a household and share the same wifi.

This is where the powerful discipline of the weekly date comes in. I am not talking about waiting until your anniversary to take an expensive trip. It is about the weekly habit of getting outside your four walls to change the mental atmosphere. Going out can be as simple as grabbing a good artisanal pizza on a Friday night, splitting a dessert at that new coffee shop, or going to the movies. What matters is not how much you spend, but the intention to disconnect from your stressful environment.