Is life hectic? Running around in circles and forgetting about your love? Here’s a quick and easy fix: read together. It works WONDERS!

My husband and I rarely watch television together (we have no reception) but we do watch DVDs. For a while, we were watching DVDs every night. At least we were doing something, but it wasn’t very interactive, and it definitely was not relationship-building (my husband almost always falls asleep before the end of the movie).

When we were young and poor, we had no TV, no DVDs, nothing. We had his stereo and my books. So we played classical music and read together. It was wonderful. Over the years, we lost the habit, but are beginning to pick it up again.

Reading together can bring you together in ways you never dreamed. When you read together, you are sharing a story or event at the time, but reading spawns deeper thought throughout the day. You discover that you and your spouse are discussing things more, opening up each other’s thoughts and feelings. This deepens the relationship beyond the half-hour or so spent reading.

Reading a book can be very relaxing. There’s no hurry, because you can go at your own pace. If you’ve had a particularly busy day, read only a paragraph or a page, or even skip reading that day. There’s no rush like there is with a rented DVD, where you have to watch it so you can get it back to the rental store before tomorrow!

My husband and I like history and non-fiction books. We find that these kinds of books encourage discussion. Our discussions bring us closer together as we “hash” issues out. Of course, if one spouse is a Democrat and another a Republican, you probably want to avoid such polarizing books as Hillary Clinton’s autobiography or Ann Coulter’s latest best seller! Remember– the intent is for reading to bring you together!

Reading together can be a wonderfully simple and satisfying way to enrich your relationship. Books can be purchased or borrowed. And there is no limit to the subjects available!