Date in the Comfort of Your Home

You don’t have to spend a fortune on going out

I am a board game enthusiast, James not so much. Our usual Friday evening modus operandi is a home night – a few light beverages, a home-made burger and end-of-week coma in front of the television. It is sumptuously relaxing – until it is not. Repetition creates boredom. 

I declared Friday night Board Game Night. But not just any old board game like your run of the mill Monopoly, Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit  - although I would play any of those in a heartbeat. No! I wanted to play a board game that would entice Jonathan. 

This game that I got my hands on was called Exit the Abandoned Cabin. For all intents and purposes we would still be trapped inside that cabin if it were a virtual reality game. It was so difficult to navigate our way around the cryptic clues that were given. There were symbols to recognize, numbers to extricate and riddles to unravel and between us, we simply could not get past clue number 2.

It didn’t matter to us that we couldn’t finish the game, what did matter was the bonding we shared over our combined efforts to free ourselves from our imagined confines. All too often in relationships that have weathered the insidious routine of daily life for longer than can be remembered, we fall into the trap of being stuck. I won’t say it is easy to get unstuck because it does require effort, but it is possible.

This was a beautiful consolidatory night for Jonathan and I as I learnt of his greater tolerance for resolving issues than mine. I was anxious (impatient even) to uncover the mysterious unlocking of our cabin in case he was not enjoying the evening. Because it was me who had organized the game I thought that James might be playing from a feeling of obligation so I was hopeful of a quick outcome in order for him to have his down time on the couch. As it was he was keen to keep moving forwards with the game to escape the shackles that kept us back – I had chosen wisely in game and life so it seems. Instead of feeling guilty for taking Jonathan away from unwinding after a tiring week, I actually felt fully supported in my endeavour to add a flavour of zest to our otherwise repetitive Friday Night.

It was a refreshing way to take our minds off of our work difficulties and by default knit our relationship closer together without purposeful intention. 

It was a natural consequence of quality time spent together. 

Do you enjoy boardgames? What do you do as a couple when you’ve got nothing else to do?