Sharing Interests

I have fun spending time with my husband.  Not only is he a very fun person, but we actively try to take the time to enjoy each other’s interests.  He has added so much to my life and I hope that I have added equally to his.  Sharing interests is such an important part of a good marriage.

The best way I can illustrate this is with my recent trip to Wisconsin.  My husband has been a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, through winning seasons and even the losing seasons, he is always proud to call himself a Packer fan.  When my husband had to travel back to Wisconsin for work I took the opportunity to go meet him there and learn more about his home state.  He took me around all of the places where he grew up. He told me stories about his childhood.  We ate at his favorite restaurants and of course, we visited Lambeau field.  He was so excited to share this part of his life with me. 

I really enjoy spending time watching football with my husband.  Being in Green Bay watching the Packers play was such a wonderful experience to share with my husband.  Even when we don’t have the opportunity to do something big like travel to Wisconsin to watch a game, we enjoy going out to our local sports bar on Sunday mornings during football season.  We hang out with friends or just the two or us and we have fun cheering for his beloved Packers. 

One particular Sunday I watched as two couples came to our favorite sports bar.  The two women made it painfully obvious that they did not wish to be there.  They rolled their eyes and let their husbands know in no uncertain terms that this was not an enjoyable experience for them. Needless to say it was not an enjoyable experience for their husbands either.  I felt very bad for all of them since obviously no one was happy. What a contrast to the morning I spent with my husband.  I actively watched the game and inquired about things I didn’t understand and most importantly I cheered loudly whenever my husband’s team did something good. 

I am not saying that couples must share all experiences equally, and I completely understand if football isn’t your thing, but it is so important to find something that you and your husband can share and enjoy.  Find a favorite TV show to watch together, or better yet find a bad show that you can watch and make fun of together.  We love to watch the TV show “Scorpion”. It is so awful.  We watch it and laugh about all of the inaccuracies on the show.  

One of the promises we made when we got married to each other is that he will be a fan of my beloved Sun Devils and I would be a fan of his beloved Packers.  Not only has he embraced my team; he genuinely looks forward to attending Sun Devil Basketball games with me. 

He loves to scuba dive so I went ahead and got certified so I can dive with him. 

I love to read so he goes with me to book stores and spends time reading with me.

He listens to music that I love, including attending Jimmy Buffet concerts.

Of course it is okay to have separate interests, but taking the time to learn about things that are important to your partner is a deeply loving thing to do. 

Every time there is a new Superhero movie, my husband will be first in line.  I will be standing right there next to him and that’s okay with me because I know that he makes time for the things I enjoy too.