Tackle a Chore: One Way To Experience Real Life In Your Christian Dating Relationship
My idea of superwoman is someone who scrubs her own floors. – Bette Midler
It can be easy to get completely swept away by the tide of romantic thrills. When a relationship launches everything can seem euphoric, sensational and surreal. Getting inundated with fantastical notions is quite possible.
One of the biggest reasons why so many of the couples established on The Bachelor(ette) shows split following the season is that their relationship was founded on fantasy. Before the much-hyped fantasy-suite, they are systematically regaled by a sequence of surreal dating experiences. Skiing in the Alps, private concerts in city squares, and seaside candlelit dinners become common-place. They dine in style while someone else cleans the plates and sweeps the floors. There isn’t a hint of the “real” daily rigor that would be encountered in any daily home and work environment.
TV Fantasy Dating Land
Seriously, have you ever seen the Bachelor or Bachelorette contestants tackle a chore together? During these first thirty days, we recommend that fun permeate your time together. You should be vibrant and youthful, but also a bit grounded. By adding a dose of your every day to the happy pep of marriage pursuit, you begin to incorporate accurate slices of your life into your relationship. Let’s be candid for a moment; everyone’s life has elements that are routine and unglamorous. There is plenty of tide detergent and toenail clipping, tire rotations and tooth cleanings for all of us.
The introduction of your significant other into this aspect of your life will convey your developing vision for a normal life together. Making a plan to meet for an oil change or stop by the pharmacy shows that you’ve reached a new comfort level, a plateau of reality! You are ready to allow this person to more deeply integrate into your life. Get excited to tackle a chore.
Our First Christian Dating Relationship Chore Together
Jenn and I first tackled a chore by picking up a batch of healthy, ready to eat meals from My Fit Foods19 as it was launching in Houston. I had become a raving fan of the concept (amen for quick, healthy meals to stock my bachelor refrigerator!) and the product line, even developing a friendship with the proprietors. Visiting the original My Fit store on Shepherd Drive became a ritual for Jenn and me when she came to the city. We would visit our pals inside, sample new nutritional products and each leave with a loaded bag of sustenance for the week. Participating in this task allowed us to share our health and fitness goals with each other and jointly increase our nutritional knowledge base. To this day we have great memories of those trips to My Fit Foods.
While taking the step of tackling a chore you might reveal a part of yourself that has made you insecure—the medical challenge, personal care routine, or financial fear that has been nagging you. While you are tackling the chore you will have a window to share and reveal things to your significant other. So get real and serious about tackling a chore in the first month since no marriage is errand-free!
Tackle A Chore:
Drop the fantasy land notions and get real.
Introduce your significant other to your daily life.
Open up while you tackle the chore together.