We’re So Different – Date Night Ideas for Opposites

Laura Radniecki is an entrepreneur, inspirational blogger and Minnesota wedding and family photographer, specializing in Celebratory Story-telling.

She is married to her high school sweetheart, Matt, obsessed with their feisty toy poodle, Remy, and has wild dreams of being the youngest Snow Bird in Minnesota history. You can find her at www.lauraradniecki.com.

 

My husband Matt and I are polar opposites.

I love to read, write and do crafts and DIY projects.

He is a triathlete and loves to swim, bike and run.

It’s safe to say that our leisure activity preferences are about as far apart as they could possibly be. I don’t enjoy the activities he does and he doesn’t enjoy mine.

A lot of the time, this isn’t an issue. We are both introverted people so we like spending time alone, absorbed in whatever activity we are doing. Him, exercising or reading about triathlon online or me with my nose in a book or working at my sewing machine.

However, when it comes to finding things to do together, for date night or just on a free Saturday afternoon together, our vastly different interests can cause us trouble.

It’s very easy for us to feel like that aside from dinner and a movie, there is nothing for us to do together that would appeal to both of us. And even then, we have such different tastes in movies [action vs chick flick] that it’s usually a compromise there too.

I’ll be honest in saying this gets frustrating.

It would be easy to find things to do together if we mutually enjoyed the same things. But the reality is he likes active things and I like quiet, artistic things. That’s the way we are and there’s no use fighting it.

So, what do we do?

Having date nights and time together is a very important priority for us. That’s non-negotiable. The challenge is figuring out what to do on those date nights.

One option is to take turns.

One time, it could be something active that Matt enjoys, and I would put his enjoyment in front of my own. Next, it would be something creative that I like, and he would be doing it to make me happy.

This is a great solution. Sometimes.

Somethings though, you want to find something that you BOTH can genuinely enjoy. Together.

How do you do that?

Look for activities that neither one of you have ever done before.

If he likes sports and you don’t, steer clear of athletics. If you like crafts and he doesn’t, leave the Pinterest-inspired ideas at home.

Last fall, Matt and I were having trouble thinking of mutually enjoyable things to do together.

Then, we heard about Geocaching.

Neither of us really knew what it was so we looked it up. A GPS-led treasure hunt! Sweet!

We both though it was so much fun, walking through the woods together with our puppy trying to find hidden treasure. We’ve gone geocaching together several times since then and it’s something both of us enjoy doing!

It’s mutually enjoyable for both of us. It isn’t a hobby of mine that Matt is tolerating, or vice versa.

We’re happy to have found something we both think is fun, and it will encourage us to keep searching for other mutually enjoyable activities that we can do together.

Your mutually enjoyable activity might not be geocaching. It will probably be something totally different. But the key is to brainstorm ideas, or look on the internet for activity lists, and then find something new that you both think would be fun; find something you can explore together. You can try out these variety of at home dates that you both will love too!

Remember to go check out other resources from Laura and connect with her at her blog www.lauraradniecki.com

Are you and your husband opposites? If you are, how do you find activities to do together?