Challenge

So in the beginning of our relationship, J. and I were a bit awkward. Not overly we-obviously-aren't-meant-for-each-other kind of awkward, but a fairly average new-relationship kind of awkward. He wasn't a huge talker, I was going through my crazy radical LET'S BE YOUNG phase, and we weren't the best communicators in the world about small things. This last part was the weirdest part of our nascent relationship, and I didn't even notice it too often... We had great communication when it came to deep talks and feelings and how we wanted to develop our relationship, but when it came to small talk, or talking about comfortable every day things, we weren't really clicking. So, that necessary part of our relationship didn't really develop completely until school started, and then we instantly became closer.

Well, a couple of nights ago, I came up with the (oh-so brilliant) idea of a challenge. J. and I were going to see how long we could last pretending and acting like we had just started dating, foregoing all of the comfortable everyday routines we have fallen into, and acting awkward and quiet and missing that link of day to day conversation that fills awkward pauses and times of relaxed conversation. Our safe word was "cheese" (yep, my 11 PM brain was really going that night in the intelligence department) and we decided to try it Monday morning, today.

Well. Let's just say I said 'cheese' around 3:00 PM.

I never even noticed how much J.'s quietness and non-chatty personality affected me until today!! No wonder the start of our relationship made me so insecure; I'm definitely the type of person to need constant verbal reassurance and response, and he definitely wasn't used to that in the first two months of our relationship. Obviously he has changed since then, and so have I. Now I know that he doesn't always respond to things I say, and it's not because he doesn't care, just that he is listening and doesn't have a response for every small negligible thing I let tumble out of my mouth.

I'm not sure if we'll be trying that challenge again any time soon. J. and I both thought it was hard and a little taxing and when we stopped he immediately kissed and hugged me. Stoic as he may have been in the past, he's my cuddly snugglebear now and the day of forced abstinence was hard on both of us.

What do you think? Would you ever try this in your own relationship? Are we crazy? Let me know!

See you when I see you.
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