15 Minute Mini-Date: Invent a Secret Handshake
/Ben and Leslie Have a Secret Handshake. So should you. | Photo Credit: Fair USe
Introducing: the Mini-Date
Too busy to go on a date this week?
Sometimes life gets crazy and it’s hard to set aside time to connect with that special person in your life. And once you get off your weekly date routine, it's difficult to get back on it. Sometimes Matthew and I look at our schedule and realize we haven't been on an official date in a month. Other times, we look ahead on our calendar and cannot find a solid bit of time to set aside for a date that week.
We've come up with a solution.
You may not have the time this week to go on a date, but you probably have 15 minutes at some point in the day, even if right before bed, to give devoted time to your spouse. But you are probably thinking it: how can you have a date in 15 minutes?
Here are some criteria we use to determine what constitutes a good date:
giving undivided attention to the person you are with
having fun and forgetting your stresses
connecting with one another
recognizing it as and calling it a date
The last one may seem irrelevant, but Matthew and I have found that we attach more importance to time we designate as a date than time we spend together otherwise, even if we are doing something fun.
Enter the mini-date.
All of these things can be accomplished in 15 minutes, if need be. While it is preferable to dedicate more time to your dates on a regular basis (especially for the "forgetting your stresses" part), sometimes it is better to spend some intentional time together than no time at all. So, take the quarter of an hour and have fun!
Invent a Secret Handshake
Time: 15 min | Cost: $ | Location: Anywhere | Level: Easy
Long ago, secret handshakes were used by serious organizations to denote loyalty. While it isn’t entirely the same nowadays, friends still use them as a way of sharing something confidential and fun. Create a handshake with your date that you only know between yourselves. The best part? Once you’ve created it, you can use it again whenever you want. Watch the video above for ideas from your favorite TV shows and movies and use our guide to help you go all out.
Materials Needed:
Our Printable Handshake Guide
Plenty of Space
Spotify Playlist
Instructions:
Download the free printable below--including our handshake guide and moves--and optionally print. Otherwise, download it to your phone or tablet.
Once you are alone and settled for your mini-date, put on our playlist and go over the printables. Start brainstorming what elements you want to include in your handshake.
Take ten minutes to try out different things and add elements to your handshake. You may need to write them down at first until you have the sequence memorized.
Practice, practice, practice!
Decide when you ought to use your handshake in the future. Plan to surprise your partner with it sometime this week.
Take a video of your favorite moves and tag it @makeadateofit on instagram and facebook!
You May Also Be Interested In…
The use of knots in Irish art dates back well over a thousand years and the evidence is everywhere, from the Book of Kells to Celtic crosses. On this 15 minute mini-date, you and your date are going to learn to tie a Celtic Love Knot.