“There are few gifts a couple can give each other greater than the joy that comes from feeling known and understood. Getting to know each other shouldn’t be a chore,” says John Gottman, a relationship expert.

Most relationships start with couples getting to know each other, talking, spending time together, enjoying each other’s company and showing an interest in one another. Falling in love begins with a sense that someone genuinely cares about you and would make a good partner in life.

Then marriage happens and we get busy with our jobs, paying bills, taking the kids to Karate class, the dentist… and there’s no time to talk. Many times we assume that we already know all there is to know about each other.

The problem is, life and time change us, and if our spouse doesn’t keep up, we start to appear more and more like strangers. Then resentment, misunderstandings and false assumptions take over and our marriage is on the rocks.

What happened? You haven’t necessarily stopped loving each other… you just stopped being friends.

So what’s the solution? We propose setting aside 2 to 3 hours on Sunday May 20th, going to a park and talking to each other about important topics that relate to both of you. We’ll even provide the questions and some guidelines for your talk.

The LOVE WALK starts at 2pm on May 20th. We have a kit that you can purchase for $25 that includes 2 t-shirts (his and hers), 2 brochures with the list of questions, and a CD explaining more about the Walk.

Engaged couples and singles are welcome to do it too. If you’re single, simply invite someone you’d like to get to know to go on the Walk with you.

Is your relationship worth 2 or 3 hours of your time?

David Higginbotham