Kiss Breaks

The institution of the coffee break has been around ever since labor unions started complaining about working conditions. At least, I think it was them who started it. Nevertheless, it’s an institution now. Everyone gets their morning and afternoon coffee breaks, so that they can get away from their desks, grab a cup of java and talk to their buddies for a few minutes.

That is, everyone gets their coffee break, except for those who are self-employed. They keep on working no matter what. Yes, I’m amongst the ranks of those who have foresworn coffee breaks. Of course, since I’m not allowed to have caffeine, giving up decaf wasn’t much of a sacrifice.

My wife and I both work out of our home office. I write and she teaches language classes; but, we share the same office. I’ve heard all my married life (and before) that a couple shouldn’t work together, because it causes them to spend too much time together. Well, if it wasn’t for the time we spend together in the office, we might not be able to spend enough time together.

Anyway, there’s another distinct advantage of sharing an office with my wife. While I don’t take coffee breaks, I do take kiss breaks. Now, kiss breaks are highly important. Not only do they provide a great break from the workday, but they also help keep us connected. Since we both work a lot, we need to make that extra effort to keep ourselves connected. What better way than to stop a couple of times a day to kiss?

The fact of the matter is, most couples don’t kiss enough. It could be because they’re too busy, or too tired, or that they don’t like kissing in front of the kids. Regardless of the reason, they just don’t kiss enough.

Did you know that kissing is actually more intimate than sexual intercourse? Now, I realize that we’re not used to thinking of it that way, but it’s true. Prostitutes won’t kiss, even though they’ll let men do just about anything they want to their bodies. It’s possible for them to mentally “disconnect” themselves from their bodies, not allowing that to affect them. But, they can’t ignore a kiss; so they don’t allow it.

The lips are the most sensitive part of the body. That’s why babies put everything in their mouths. It’s also why kissing is so arousing sexually. Kissing stimulates us in a way that even sexual intercourse can’t.

When my wife and I were on our honeymoon, we went to Aspen, Colorado to go skiing. While we both enjoy skiing, she was a bit fearful. So, we developed a plan for skiing together. I’d ski down the hill a ways and stop to wait for her. She’d ski down to where I was. Then, we’d stop for a kiss break before continuing on. Whether or not the skiing was fun, the kiss breaks were wonderful.

Kissing also helps prepare her for other intimate activities later on. Women don’t think of sex anywhere near as often as men do. However, they can be encouraged to think about it, by the things that their husbands do outside the bedroom. Kissing is a very important part of that.

So, put some kiss breaks on your schedule. If you don’t share an office with your wife, like I do, you’ll have to find other times. Have a kiss break before you leave for work in the morning. Grab her for another one when you walk in the door in the evening. Schedule one for just after dinner, and another for just after you put the kids to bed. Whatever works for you. 

Dancin'

I once heard it said that dance was a vertical expression of a horizontal idea. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know that dance, in and of itself, is a great idea. It doesn’t need to express anything else, because it expresses its own idea; that of moving and working together in a beautiful way.

My wife and I met dancing; not in a night club or anything like that, but doing international folk dancing. We were part of a recreational group that got together every Saturday night to dance the old dances from much of Europe and around the world. It was good clean, wholesome fun that people of all ages could do, and it was a great way to get to know each other in a non-threatening environment.

Dancing together as a couple is a great lesson in working together. For two people to move as one, one needs to lead and the other follow. In dance, the man is supposed to lead, while the woman follows. However, it’s amazing how many couples have that mixed up. The woman leads, while the man follows. Whenever I see that, I have to wonder what that says about the rest of their marriage. If she can’t follow him on the dance floor, how can she follow him through the perils of life? If he can’t lead her on the dance floor, how can he lead her through a crisis?

Dance is also great social intercourse. It’s a way of joining together in an activity that is intimate and invigorating, physical while building trust in one another. A couple who can dance well together can move through many other things in life together as well.

One great thing about dance is that it can be done anywhere. You don’t have to go out to dance; you can do it in the living room, your bedroom, even the back yard. Just put on some music, grab your wife and dance. Why not?

It’s interesting to note that dance has been a major part of social intercourse throughout history. While there are many different styles of dance, it has always been a part of how people related to each other, especially between the sexes. In fact, in times past, when dating didn’t exist, one of the few socially acceptable ways of meeting available members of the opposite sex was through dance.

There’s probably a fairly good chance that you and your wife danced when you were dating. Now, I’ll have to say that what passes itself off as dancing today doesn’t have the grace and style of times past. Nor is much of it very intimate. Nevertheless, what we refer to today as slow dancing provides much of the same time together that older styles of dance did.

Many communities offer dance lessons of one sort or another, so don’t try and use your lack of ability as an excuse. Sign up to take some lessons together, get out and learn how to dance with your wife.

Even more important than the lessons though is taking the opportunity to just do it. Put on some music and dance with her. Don’t worry about your two left feet or the kids making fun of you, enjoy yourselves together.