First kisses.
The butterflies.
The magic.
Just like we put together a plan for falling for your partner and making them fall for you, you have to put together a plan to continually date your partner. Make them fall every single day. Not just the first ten weeks.
People always talk about needing to “keep the spark alive,” but it’s easier said thandone. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes intention. (Our favorite word made a comeback.)
I’ll give you a spoiler alert: next week, for your last Ford Method challenge, we’ll be focusing on your future.
This week, we’re going to focus on the past. The future is something to be pursued, and the past is something to be honored.
Recreate the exact moment you fell for your partner. Don’t hold anything back. Pull out all the stops. Put together all the bells and whistles.
The most important part of the equation is that you tell them why that moment was special, what you felt then, and what you feel now.
Vulnerability is terrifying. It can feel awkward and uncomfortable to put yourself out there and open up to another person, even if they’re trusted. It can feel cheesy or unnecessary, but vocalizing how someone makes you feel and telling them why you love them is one of the greatest forms of intimacy. It can be easy to want to be strong and perfect. But there’s no connection to be had when you’re holding everything in. Vulnerability and honesty breed connection and intimacy. Don’t be afraid of it. Be excited about it.
29
AUTUMN
A MASSIVE HELPING OF CROW
“What’s all this?” I asked with a laugh of disbelief as I stood in the front door threshold and blinked.
The lights were off, but lit candles dotted every flat surface. The glow warmed the inside of the little house, casting dancing shadows across the walls and ceiling. Ryan was sitting on the couch, smiling expectantly.
I had gone out to a coffee shop to write today because Ryan said he needed to batch record a few podcast episodes and have virtual coaching meetings. Rather than tiptoeing around each other and trying not to make a peep, I wrote the last chapter of my book surrounded by innocent coffee drinkers who were completely unaware that I was in the process of giving a couple their happy ending after brutally tearing them apart in the third act.
I clutched my laptop a little closer to my chest as I closed the door behind me. “Are we having a séance?”
But Ryan didn’t answer. Instead, he stood from the couch and slowly walked toward me.
“Something smells good,” I said as I tossed the car keys on the kitchen island and set my laptop beside them.
“Did you finish it?” Ryan asked as he stood in front of me and slid his hands beneath my jaw, cupping my cheeks.
“The book?”
He nodded.
I grinned. “Yeah.”
“That’s my girl,” he said with a quick flash of a smile before kissing me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hi to you too. What’s going on?”
“I thought we should celebrate.”
“Celebrate? Finishing the book?”
“Mhmm.” His hands were tender, cradling the back of my neck as he smoothed his thumb over my cheek. “I’m proud of you.”
I bloomed under his praise. “It’s not my first. Or second. Not by a long shot. I do this every few months.”
“I know,” he said with that star-struck grin. “But I’ve never gotten to be here for it before. It didn’t know what it was going to be like.”
