How ordinary Charlotte experiences can strengthen your relationships
I love reading about other people’s great life adventures. Was I the only one following along with Katy Hill’s move to NYC on her “The Girl & The Good” blog, or Sam White’s cross-country trip on her “The White Papers” blog? They both moved/traveled from Charlotte with their significant others and it got me thinking about how that element of excitement and spontaneity adds an extra spark to a relationship, maybe even recharges it. And definitely makes it interesting to write and read about.
I get the itch to get out of town every now and then, but I’m kind of a homebody and love sticking around Charlotte. Even when I have time off, I often choose to spend it here in my city, catching up on time with friends or family, sipping a glass of wine on my roof, sneaking in extra time on my yoga mat. Maybe even vacuuming.
When I’m not out adventuring, I like to remind myself that, often, all you need to feed a relationship, platonic or otherwise, and make it last is the most ordinary of experiences.
I have a photojournalist friend who travels a ton, and when he ends up back on my side of the globe, we don’t make a point to catch up over some big “Charlotte’s Got A Lot” experience like whitewater rafting at the U.S. National Whitewater Center or hiking Crowder’s Mountain (although you should try both of these activities).
Nope, we opt for our usual lunch “date” at Qdoba and he gets a burrito, and chips and queso and I get a taco salad. We’ve been doing this for nearly four years and have switched it up a handful of times — like when we wanted to try Draught uptown. But Qdoba is “our thing” together and while it seems boring, the conversation is anything but.
It’s the same with my girlfriends. We just like to get dinner together when we’re all free. That can look like a potluck during the latest season of “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” (some of us take this show more seriously than others). It can look like our usual haunts — Thai Taste or Mama Ricotta’s — or branching out to places we want to try like Hibiscus for Thai or Kid Cashew for small plates. We don’t need to do anything crazy on a Monday. We just need an excuse to get together.
As for one of the most normal/mundane activities, grocery shopping, I save that one for my boyfriend. I would say we’re weird for planning a grocery date before going to one of our apartments to cook dinner, but I’ve seen other couples take Publix dates to a whole extra level and actually sit down there together to eat. We still need to try this.
Besides, he pointed out that grocery shopping is one of the most intimate things you can do with a person — it’s one of those little, daily life experiences you don’t share with your boss, or your random neighbor, or even most of your friends. And if you’re lucky, there’s a wine tasting going on.
Whether you’re grocery shopping with your significant other, or grabbing food with friends, you’re spending quality time together. You’re bonding with those people because you’re living your life with them.
And yes, there’s a lot to do in Charlotte, so get out and do it when you can.
But don’t overlook the rest.
Photos: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 10:00 PM with the headline "How ordinary Charlotte experiences can strengthen your relationships."