What have you stopped doing together since you got married?

Is there any activity you and your partner stopped doing together when you got married? The type of activity you loved to do during dates, but found yourself not doing enough of when you were husband and wife?

I was in for a surprise one day when my husband and I found ourselves with an hour to kill. I suggested we go to a coffee shop. He suggested something else.

“Let’s go up there,” he said, pointing to the second floor of the shopping center we were in.

“But that’s an internet gaming shop. What are we going to do there?,” I asked, folding my arms.

“Let’s just see,” he smiled knowingly, and I knew something was up. We went up the stairs and entered the dark shop. It was lunch time, and the only guy in the shop was the storekeeper.

My husband turned to me. “Let’s play Counter-strike.”

I laughed. The last time we played Counter-strike was during our dating days — 12 years ago. I don’t remember us playing CS together as a married couple at all. Counter-Strike is a first-person shooting game. You can either team up or go against each other. My husband and I like playing the game one-on-one on a relatively small terrain.

Photo Credit: dragon2309 via Compfight cc

The storekeeper hooked us up to the system. I put on the headphones and stared at the keyboard. What were the controls again? How could you change weapons? How do you zoom in if you’re a sniper? The young storekeeper was kind enough to refresh our memories. Before we knew it, my husband and I were deep into the game and laughing at the same time.

Then our thirty minutes was up — just when I was getting into the game and was beating him! Argh! We were tempted to extend our gaming time but we had parental duties. As we paid, my husband struck up a conversation with the storekeeper.

My husband: “Boss, puro estudyante customer nyo?”
Guy: “Opo. Tsaka mga…”
Husband: “Mga ano?”
Guy: “Mga nagthro-throwback.”

(Translation: My husband: “Boss, are your customers mostly students?” / Guy: “Yes sir. And also…”/ Husband: “And also what?” / Guy: “Those who do throwbacks.”)

As we left the shop, my husband and I made plans to go back. Noontime was perfect — there were no young gamers, just us old folks doing a throwback.

We felt like we were the twenty-somethings we were again. Who knew a few rounds of CS could light up what we thought was just an ordinary day in our marriage?

To the married couples: Think back to your dating days and see which activities you’ve gradually stopped doing together. Then consider reviving it! It’s a great way to reconnect with your partner, and a wonderful way to create new memories. <3

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.