Like all other families at this stage of the game, our life is crazy right now. My mom used to call it the "domestic treadmill" – with jobs, young families, and aging parents, we’re running to keep up and never quite reaching that destination of peace, tranquility and accomplishment of listed tasks.
In the midst of all this, I find that it’s easy to take for granted one of the most valuable pillars in life – my marriage. So much about what we do revolves around the kids and our jobs, that at most, our communications with each other become functional and based in the external. Where so much of our time together used to be about sharing and caring for each other, now it’s about who’s taking out the garbage, what’s for dinner, and let’s plan our little girl’s birthday party.
This past weekend, my husband had a business trip to Chicago and I accompanied him. It was less than 48 hours away, and a lot of that time involved firm events. However, we managed to squeeze in some "us time" and it was great. The weird thing is that, initially, on the plane ride, all we could find to talk about with each other was the kids. I began to worry that maybe that’s all we have in common right now. But, as the weekend unfolded and we spent some quality time together, some of our old commonalities began to resurface.
We took an afternoon to walk down the Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s splendid avenue of shops and hotels that entices with its glamorous offerings. Strolling down this impressive avenue, hand in hand, gazing in shop windows, I felt more connected to our relationship of ten years ago, when it was just us. Don’t get me wrong, I treasure the life and responsibilities we have cultivated together and if anything, our children have united us in a way that was previously unfathomable. However, it’s so easy to forget that there was a time when there was so much else that bonded us – a shared sense of humour, a love of big hotels and airports, a passionate enjoyment of food and culture….the list goes on. Being away from Toronto and our hectic routine was a much-needed reminder of our history and the roots of our relationship.
I’m often reluctant to leave our kids for any amount of time, but now, with number 3 on the way, I see the need, more than ever, to carve out some time for us.
LOL, whenever DH and I go out together we ALWAYS talk about the kids! But we went to Banff for a weekend alone last year and it was heaven. For the longest time we just sat in a local coffee shop sipping our java and watching the world stroll by outside. When we woke up Sunday morning the world was adorned with a blanket of fresh, white fluffy snow and it was the perfect fairy tale topper for a great weekend!