With this winter dragging on, even a home dweller like me is craving a good walk in the park! Seventy-five degrees, a nice breeze, green grass, and birds chirping! In the distance, there is a soccer game and kids playing on the swings. Adjacent to the walking path is the peaceful sound of water rushing down a small stream. Spring, come and hurry up!!!
Connecting on Walks
Walks are great for couples and friends. Sitting across the table from someone can feel intimidating at first, but there is something equalizing about walking together. Perhaps it is the fact that both people have a common goal: to walk straight (or maybe it is because they don’t have to look at each other the whole time). During a walk, it is perfectly acceptable not to look at your buddy while he or she is talking – as long as you are actively interested in the conversation (i.e., able to respond with relevant comments).
Want to make a walk in the park even more awesome? Bring dogs! Oh yes! Well-behaved, friendly, playful dogs make a walk in the park that much more fun and exciting. Perhaps the excitement of the dogs spreads to the walkers. ~smile~ If you don’t have a dog, borrow one from a friend. Pick a trail, enjoy the nice weather, and just let the conversation come. If you would feel better, prepare questions or topics like you may on a dinner date, but just to use in case there is a lengthened lull. Chances are there will be enough sights and sounds to spark conversation.
Walks are great exercise as well! Even if you do not have the best time of your life, you will still be doing your body and mind good! ~wink~
Connecting over a Picnic
This is the part of the date where you really hope your canine companions are well behaved. Ramsey spends a lot of time expectantly sitting next to me at the table with a determined gleam in her eye. If I were to eat on the ground with her, I may have to fight her for my hotdog! (Okay, not really, we have her well-trained. ~smile~)
Picnics are just fun. Once you get past the grunt work of preparing it, sitting on a blanket and enjoying food in nature is relaxing. It is hard to be too stressed out on a picnic. Do you typically see parents yelling at their kids to hurry up and eat while they are sitting under the shade of an old tree? Not usually. Such an activity practically requires people to relax and enjoy their day. This is, as with anything, not true of everyone. There are some folks who simply despise being outside for extended periods of time. And as ridiculous as it sounds, we must respect their strange hang-up with nature. ~wink~ {Eric’s note: This is a playful jab at me. I can only be outside so long before grumpiness emerges. ~smile~}
Even if it does not come naturally to you, relax yourself on the picnic. If it will help you, pack a game you both can play outside – or even a simple Frisbee to throw back and forth. Games have a powerful way of breaking down uncomfortable barriers. Still concerned? Bring friends along. Make it a four- or eight-person picnic. Few enough that everyone can interact, but large enough that you and your date are not forced to communicate solely with each other the entire time. Once you are comfortable with each other, a picnic by yourselves in an open area will be a pleasure!
Make food or pick food up, bring chairs or a blanket, pack games and books, and enjoy an afternoon of talking, playing, and reading together. Picnics are a way you can be “alone” with your sweetie without being “too alone” with your sweetie. ~smile~
Connecting with Spontaneity
Spontaneity comes much more easily to some personalities than others, but an afternoon in the park makes being spontaneous easier for the more detailed, rule-following types. A picnic in the park is the goal, but surrounding that goal are many possibilities. A few races may break out. A new trail may be hiked. Perhaps bikes can be rented? You may be able to kick your shoes off and wade in the lake or stream. The picnic provides a hub, but the park provides amble opportunity to explore without a specific plan in place. From the structured to the spontaneous, everyone wins!
Lord willing, Spring weather will be here in no time! Start planning some picnics, hikes, and beach trips now! Imagine the sun on your face and cool water underneath your feet! Yes, I am a little excited. Have a blast connecting with your sweetie and friends in the park this Spring and Summer!
What connection building activities can you think of to do with your sweetie during a picnic in the park?