Bring Romance Back to a Long Term Relationship 

by Jennifer Murphy, Marine Fiancé

You have been living with your spouse for a while now and the monotony of the same thing day in and day out is starting to wear on the relationship. Romance seems like a pipe dream from the days of dating. You are not alone. With the start of your relationship came passion and romance. These feelings put you on cloud nine and completely consume your senses.

However, as time passes these feelings seem to go into hiding. With this new mature relationship you have gotten used to each other and are stable. This is the natural cycle of relationships and marriage. But this does not mean that you and your spouse should sit back and allow the romance to fade or become mundane.

Reinvigorating the romance in a marriage takes time and will take a little effort from the both of you. Both you and your spouse need to set aside time to rekindle and maintain a romantic relationship.

Ways to Spend a Little Time Together

If work and family never seem to give enough time for just the two of you consider going on a vacation together. Getting away for a week or more is a wonderful way to rekindle the romance but for military families getting even just a week off is a feat. If getting that much time off is impossible contemplate getting away for just the weekend. Try a weekend trip to the nearest big city or even just renting a room in a nice hotel in your current town and enjoy the alone time you two rarely have.

Even a day date is a nice alternative when vacations are out of the question. Removing yourselves from the familiar atmosphere of your home can work wonders in bringing spouses back together on a romantic level. New surroundings help to create a new mood for you and your spouse.

Try not planning anything. Spontaneity is a sure fire way to create a spark that may have dimmed. This is the first thing to go when you have a family and with a demanding military schedule, but the fun is in throwing the routine out the window. The same excitement felt when breaking the rules will carry over into the relationship.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Separation may seem like a direct contradiction to the above but absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. Because the military dictates where to live, taking trips to see family and friends in our hometowns become few and far between. Why not schedule a flight back to see them for a few days. Small separations help partners realize just how important their relationship is and the time apart creates a yearning for each other.

In order to make a relationship last for years, willful efforts to romance each other must be made. Relationships left to monotony will generate into relationships in which partners begin to take each other for granted. Firing up the relationship and finding exciting new ways to enjoy each other’s company are necessary to keep a good marriage strong.