The Date Doesn't Matter
I have a super special date night planned..
It is too expensive and my wife will probably kill me when she finds out the price. But I think it is much needed and I wanted it to be really special because Maria has been going through a lot lately.
As I solidified the details of the date itself and what we will be doing (will probably write about the details another day), I realized something:
The date itself doesn't matter.
Let me explain.
For us, at this point in our lives, we are busy and have a lot of responsibilities when it comes to work, social life, and family.
For any of you who have kids, you will know it truly can take a village to raise a kid. Add in another child (or more) and things get hectic quick.
There are so many little rhythms and habits and ways of doing things that have to be kept up in order for things to run like a well oiled machine in a family unit.
My wife handles most of these things, for which I am truly grateful. I think she would tell you I help quite a bit and I really do prioritize being a dad pretty heavily, but there is no doubt she carries most of the weight.
Especially the mental weight.
She makes sure all the little details and bits and bobs are constantly and consistently being taken care of.
So when I say, the date itself doesn't matter, I mean everything around the date is what matters.
I was talking to my friend, Jonathan, this morning about this very topic.
I told him, we could literally go to Walmart for an hour and it would still be a great date night as long my wife's mind isn't at home with the kids and those various responsibilities that weigh on her daily, hourly.
Therefore, today is a day of preparation for tonight's date.
The date details are all planned and ready, but now comes the more important part:
Making sure child care is taken care of (thank you in-laws!!!!), making sure dinner is planned for the kids, making sure the house is clean, making sure bed times are set up and laid out, making sure the dog is fed, making sure my in-laws have everything they need for it to be easy on them to watch the kids, etc. etc. etc.
These things are what matters because in making sure they are taken care of, my wife's mind can actually be at ease on our date.
Couple that with an awesome, special date activity, and it's sure to be a really nice night... I hope!
I will report back on details of this secret little date and if it all went to plan. I can't wait!