This book, it’s called “Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love”, you see. My old eyes ain’t what they used to be, but I reckon this here’s a good one. It says it’s about talking. Yeah, talking, like we used to do ‘fore all these fancy phones came around.
Eight dates, eight talks. That’s what this book says makes love last. Sounds simple enough, don’t it? Like making a good stew, you gotta have the right ingredients. And you gotta stir it just right, not too much, not too little.
I heard some smart fellers named John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman, they’re the ones who wrote this thing. They are some kind of relationship doctors or something. They started some institute in 1996, you know, to figure out what makes love tick. They even made some computer thing, I don’t rightly understand it, but it sounds fancy.
This here book, it ain’t just for the young’uns. Old folks like me, we can learn a thing or two, too. Love, it’s like a garden, you gotta tend to it, no matter how long it’s been growing.
First date, they talk about trust. Well, shoot, that’s like the foundation of a house. You can’t build nothin’ without a good foundation. You gotta trust that your partner’s got your back, through thick and thin. Like when you are sick or when the crops fail. Trust, that’s the big one.
Then there’s something called “conflict.” Now, everyone argues, don’t matter who you are. Even the sweetest couple, they gonna have their spats. It’s like the weather, sometimes it rains, sometimes it shines. This book, it tells you how to argue right. So you don’t say things you don’t mean and hurt each other real bad.
They got a whole date about, uh, “sex”. Well, I ain’t gonna go into that too much. But let me tell ya, that’s important, too. It’s like the spice in the stew, you know? Gotta keep things interesting. Even when you’re old and creaky, you still gotta show each other you care.
Then there’s money. Oh boy, that’s a big one. Money can cause more fights than a rooster in a henhouse. This book, it helps you talk about it. How you gonna spend it, how you gonna save it. It’s important to be on the same page, or else you’ll be pullin’ in different directions like two mules in a harness. So many couples fight about this. It is important to talk about this.
Family, that’s another date. Kids, grandkids, all that. Having a family, it changes everything. It’s like adding a whole bunch of new ingredients to the stew. Gotta figure out how to make it all work together.
Then, they got somethin’ about fun. You don’t say? I reckon that’s important. You need to have fun with each other. Play some games, go to the dance. You know. It’s like sunshine, gotta have a little bit of it to make things grow. Laugh, dance. You know, all that stuff. Even old folks like us.
They even talk about “growth”. That’s about changin’ together. People change, you know. It’s like the seasons, you can’t stay the same forever. You gotta learn to grow together, like two trees with their roots all tangled up.
The last date is about somethin’ called “dreams.” Even old folks got dreams. Maybe it’s a trip you always wanted to take, or a garden you wanted to plant. It’s important to share your dreams with each other. It’s like plantin’ seeds, you never know what might sprout.
- Eight dates, eight big talks.
- Trust, conflict, sex, and money. Those are some big ones.
- Family, fun, growth, and dreams. Gotta have those, too.
- Gotta talk, gotta listen. That’s the secret.
- This book, it’s like a recipe for a good, long love.
This “Eight Dates” book, it’s a good one. It is for couples, young and old. It don’t matter how long you’ve been together, you can always learn somethin’ new. It’s like, if you do not talk, you do not know. If you do not know, how can you love and make it last? You know?
They say that being honest, and open, and caring, that is what makes a good home. And true love, it doesn’t cheat or lie or hurt. To make love last forever, you two gotta understand each other. You gotta know how to deal with the hard times, ’cause life, it’s gonna throw some curveballs at ya, for sure. Life ain’t easy, you know. It is full of good and bad.
So, if you wanna make your love last a lifetime, maybe give this book a try. It’s full of good advice, even if it is from some fancy doctors. It might just help you keep that fire burnin’, even when your bones get old and the wind starts to howl. Love, it’s the best thing there is. Gotta hold onto it tight. Like me, I have been with my husband for 50 years. We talk, we have our little fights, we make up. We have fun, even now. It is not always easy, but it is good.
