6 Reasons Why This Is The Best Gift You Can Give Your Spouse

Will your gifts wither and die?

A dead bunch of roses lies outside a family tomb. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is the best gift you can give your spouse? You probably assumed that this post would begin with a chocolate heart, or if you were really thinking hard it would be about a Cadbury’s Chocolate Heart on Valentine’s Day.  Wrong.  How about a dozen roses…..Wrong again.  These things all fade.  The chocolate goes to the hips (except on my wife who looks stunning) and the roses wither.  Then they go in the garbage.

Love is Like a Cactus?

Brad, my cohort on writing this blog, once bought his wife a cactus and left his wife a note that said something like, “My love for you is like a cactus.  Strong and resilient.  Nothing like roses that die.”  Well guess what, the cactus probably ended up in the garbage one day when it was accidentally bumped and spilled all over the floor.

The truth is many gifts that we give to our spouse either end up on our hips, or withers and ends up in the garbage.

Diamonds are forever is BS!

This is what we call a very smart marketing ploy.  Watching one commercial from DeBeers has caused you to think that diamonds are forever.

But I’m here to tell you diamonds are forever, unless you lose one.  Then they’re gone forever.  Ask my wife if her diamond is forever.

The Best Gift You Can Get Your Spouse is…..Travel

You wanna give her something that she’ll never forget?  Take her on a trip!

• Does it wither: NO
• Does it get lost: NO
• Does it fall off the counter: NO
• Does it end up in the garbage: NO

Let’s review 6 Great Reasons that traveling with your spouse is the best gift that you can give:

1.  Travel Creates Unforgettable Memories:

Pictures are a powerful tool of time travel. In fact, it is probably the best form of backward time travel we have ever devised.

Remember the time you watched an incredible sunset from an island no larger than a McDonald’s restaurant?  Or the time that we walked up and down the streets of Phuket looking for mangoes and sticky rice?  What about the hourlong foot massages in Vietnam after a long day on our feet where we both fell dead asleep?

Get off the couch and start making some serious memories.  The chocolate will get eaten and the diamonds can get lost, but travel creates memories that will never fade.

2.  It breaks up the everyday monotony that runs (ruins) your life:

If You wake up and the dishes are still in the sink, the laundry baskets are full, and the lawn needs mowed.  You are like every other person around you.  Trapped by the world that surrounds you and owns you.  Getting away from that mold and the responsibilities allows you to remember that you’re not just roommates anymore.

3.  It stops you from having a Cell Phone Date:

Unless you’re still sporting a really cool Nokia flip phone you’ve probably experienced this one too.  You finally decide to get a babysitter for the kids (which you never do because it is expensive) and you head out to your favorite restaurant.  Before the meal is served you’ve checked your Facebook feed 17 times and equally as many looking at your email. By the time the meal is over you’ve spent 3/4 of the time looking at the iPhone.

Getting out of this zone allows you to forget about your phone (especially if you leave the country).  Put the phone away and instead of staring at someone else’s picture of a romantic kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower, take your own picture.

4.  Get in a Fight:

For some reason travel seems to bring out the fight in couples.  Usually these aren’t the fights that end relationships, but the fights that help you to strengthen the relationship.

Our friend Mike blogs at 1000fights.com.  The whole premise of his blog is that he and his wife go on trips together and somehow end up in fights on their trip.  These fights help them to understand each other better, and sometimes cause you to talk about things that you would otherwise sweep under the rug.

On your next trip, get in a fight, then make up!

5. It’s Romantic to Travel Together:

Spending a Romantic Moment in Verona, Italy

Come on, admit it.  You’ve always want to have sex on the beach.  Well this one might come as shocker, but you’ve actually got to be on a beach to make that happen.  Unless you’re from San Diego the beach is pretty far (plus San Diego might not be the best spot for this event).

Remember the dating days when every moment counted?  You didn’t want to separate for school, work, or anything else.  You loved spending time together.  It was romantic.  Now that life has happened all the romance has disappeared.  Don’t wait until the kids leave the house for romance to come back in.

Strolling through a romantic city with you sweetheart’s hand in yours can produce sparks that you haven’t seen since you first started dating.  Go make some sparks and start a fire!

6.  Because Accumulating More Stuff Sucks-

I know it is crazy, but I kinda enjoy going to garage sales.  The idea of rummaging through someones stuff is disgusting to some people, but I find it interesting.  The best garage sales are the ones from people who lived somewhere for 50 years, and they’re finally moving into an assisted living where they can take 5 things with them.

As you sift through the stuff you realize that tons of the “stuff” that you need is something that you really didn’t need.  It wasn’t necessary at all.  Believe me, I’ve been to Haiti and I know many people that don’t have much “stuff.”  They are completely happy without 37 boxes of Christmas decorations and 4 varieties of Christmas trees.

When the day comes that you move into an assisted living facility you’ll get to choose 5 things to bring with you, but your memories will always be with you.

This year when you’re thinking of gifts.  Think outside the box of chocolates and think about taking a trip.