Cherishing the Time We Have Together

A sunset picnic for date night

It’s been something my husband and I did on a regular basis when we started going out. Going on date nights. We would go once a week or at least once in two weeks to a restaurant and spend the evening chatting until late at night.

In Namibia, we often would go out for dinner. Usually with friends. Because it was cheap. Almost cheaper than cooking at home. But we made a point of going just the two of us for a date. We would dress up. I would even put some make-up on (which means putting mascara on, because that’s all I know about make-up).

We would sit down, my husband would get the wine menu which he politely took, and as soon as the waiter turned away he handed the menu to me because he didn’t really know wines. I would choose a bottle, hand the menu back to him and when the waiter came back he ordered for us.

I’ve got lots of lovely memories in beautiful restaurants in Namibia. That was about five years ago. In between, we’ve been all around the world. Well, maybe not everywhere, but we got around a bit. We’ve been here and there to restaurants.

But we never took up the regular routine of going on dates.

Until a few weeks back. I was indulging in memories and struggling a bit with being apart from each other most days of the week when I suggested picking it up again. Date nights. Every Tuesday from now on.

And so we did. We went to the lovely town of Miltenberg, walked along the river Main and sat down in a restaurant. With the phones at home and lots of time together we chatted until the lights went out.

Last week was different. It seemed like Tuesday was the first day of sunshine after 31 days of rain. Which were 31 days of August. I thought it would be nice to change things up a bit and take the chance of the lovely weather.

I suggested a picnic at the edge of the forest. On the other side of our village are benches and picnic tables overlooking the valley and facing the sunset. It sounded like a great idea.

I packed the cooler box and dad’s good wine (the one he makes himself) and off we went.

The sun was still shining strong when we hiked up the hill behind the church. A bush filled with blackberries was shining in the sun. The berries aren’t ripe yet. A week or two then we can indulge in them.

And there we were. Overlooking our fairytale village and the beautiful valley surrounded by nothing but forest. I put a drying cloth as table cloth down and placed first the two wine glasses on it.

I had some sandwiches, ham, cheese, olives, and other add-ons for the picnic.

But before I could indulge in the food I had to take out my camera and capture the scene. The wine, the picnic, the view. And all of it together.

I was looking at this shot thinking this could become the new label of dad’s wine. It’s anyway time for me to design a new one.

But then I put the camera down, we cheered on our date night, and just enjoyed the moment. Chatting about us, life, work, and the future, the time was passing.

Cherishing the time we have together.

Guess what? We were smiling a lot, laughing, and simply having a good time. Meanwhile, a cloud was hiding the last moments of sunshine we would have had but not even that could ruin our mood.

Some massive clouds were building up on the horizon. But as clouds are, they simply add some extra beauty to the sunset.

And there we were sitting, enjoying the picnic, and watching the sky in awe.

Life is beautiful, you just need to make yourself aware of it. Take a small amount of time and spend it with your loved ones. Away from screens and other distractions. Nature is best for a truly fulfilled and authentic experience. In my eyes at least.

And therefore go on dates not only when you’re getting to know someone. Also later in your relationship when life gets too busy and living together becomes normal.

Cherish your love to each other.

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