National Marriage Week: Time to Pull the Plug

By LaCharla

Today’s idea for National Marriage Week, Day 6, is another idea that’s simple to explain and not so easy to do. In fact, it’s so hard that I’m asking myself as I write this whether we can do it.

Do what? UNPLUG!
Come Back! I’m Not Finished

You see where this is going, and you’re either about to throw something at me or move on to something else, but don’t. I mean it!

Here’s why we need to unplug–why you need to unplug: The 21st century is noisy. And by noise, I mean all the stuff that makes us excited, stressed, annoyed, worried, mesmerized, busy, overwhelmed, overjoyed, and just plain tired.

The noise is all around us, every day. And if we’re not careful, it can drown out intimacy.

Does It Have To?

Today’s idea is for you and your hunny to agree on a day and spend 2 or 3 hours of it together, unplugged. Away from the noise. No television. No work. No video games. No email. No smartphone. No Facebook. No Twitter. Music is ok; a little jazz might be perfect. Your kids can join you, but they have to leave their noise behind, too.

This is not about electronics, though; it’s about distance. Without realizing it, many of us have grown closer to our technology while drifting away from real human contact. This can be especially dangerous in a marriage because that “drifting” can be subtle. Habits are like that.

Before you know it, you’re barely spending any meaningful time together at all. Night after night, she’s texting her BFF while you do whatever you guys do when you play Call of Duty.

You barely see or hear each other, and intimacy gradually–very gradually–starts to slip.

Head Off Trouble at the Pass

If we handle all this 21st century noise badly, it becomes the Great Detractor, or worse. So let’s not let the noise crowd out quality time with our spouses. A marriage is like a garden. Have you ever seen a gorgeous, colorful, manicured, weed-free garden just show up out of nowhere? Well, a good marriage needs a little grooming, too. And sometimes that means turning down the noise.

Go Forth and Conquer

We can do this! No need to plan anything special or make this a big production: our time together can be funny, silly, serious or cerebral. Let’s just spend more face to face time, really seeing and hearing each other.

So what do you say? Ready to pull the plug?

Please leave a comment with your thoughts. We’d especially love to hear about your “unplugged” stories. And please use the buttons below to share this post with your friends. They probably need to unplug, too!

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