Bloom Scrolling
The name I’m going with is “Bloom Scrolling”.
It’s for when, instead of scrolling countless sad and disheartening news posts, your social media browsing results in a positive habit that sticks.
Julie and I started our (almost) weekly date-meetings months ago. I couldn’t point you to a specific influencer from whom the idea germinated. I’m sure you’ve seen several accounts share similar advice: schedule a date and time with your partner, out of your home, to go sit down and look at, and plan, the week ahead.
I’d assume confidently that if you’re not currently involved romantically with anyone, you could still make this kind of arrangment with yourself productive and fruitful.
Jericho Beach, (Photo credit: one of our kids?)
We still have our more traditional dates, as pictured. For these date-meetings, however, we walk to a local coffee shop, get a beverage (and sometimes a treat), and check off the following items for the next seven days:
1. Make sure we’ve noted important appointments in each others’ calendars.
2. Meal plan.
3. Match and update our “To Do” lists.
4. Make an aspirational commitment to ourselves.
This has taken as little as 10-15 minutes, or the meetings have lasted as long as we wanted.
Our relationship wasn’t in any sort of challenging place. It wasn’t a remedy for, or reaction to past disagreements or conflicts. The decision to ensure we made time weekly to communicate these aspects of our lives, mundane or ambitious, has, however, significantly reduced my stress and sprouted new optimism.
Wasaga Beach (Photo credit: kind stranger)
I wouldn’t normally lean towards implementing what seems to be a workplace strategy into my personal life. A “date-meeting” could risk being too impersonal. I also don’t jump onto social media trends as a general practice.
But, of all those hours each week Julie and I each spend nightly, drifting through posts about news, cats, meals, music, sports, TV, movies, and more, it’s meaningful to act on something together that doesn’t rhyme with Thickle Mall.
Even an already nourishing relationship can find more room to blossom.