Dating in Dallas: The Anniversary Date
By: Milana Alchemista
As we here at COSIGN embark on the journey that is planning our anniversary issue, it seems only appropriate that this installment of Dating in Dallas focus on that inevitable, elusive and for some unremarkable, the anniversary date.
Before we get started, let’s get one thing out of the way, the first anniversary date is always magical, always cute, always Snapchat worthy. This is the date everyone goes all out for. This is the date everyone gets a G pass for. This is the date where you can fully expect a brand-new something. We don’t want to talk about this date. This date is easy.
What happens when your anniversary starts to feel like just another day? When on your anniversary, your girl just wants to smoke on the porch with her hair wrapped, or your man has the nerve to pull the “Netflix and chill” move (this happens to some people, I swear). On your 4th, 5th, 6th anniversary, you can’t go back to the Sonic where you first shared a milkshake. On anniversary #1, this is cute; on anniversary #7, this is broke.
In honor of COSIGN Magazine’s 4th Anniversary, here are 4 ways to keep your anniversary special and sacred, even when it’s not your first rodeo:
1.Blow Up IG feeds
#WCW’s and #MCM’s (or #MCE’s, rolls eyes) abound in new relationships. By year 3 or 4, you probably go the full 52 weeks without a single post about Bae. This is a day for your love, so go ahead and blow up your friends’ feeds with annoying pictures and paragraph-long love proclamations. You have our permission. Sure your friends will roll their eyes, but ignore the haters! Show yo’ boo some love. Now, this is a small gesture, but one that will definitely bring a smile to your love’s face, and that’s important enough to lose a few followers over. It really is.
2.Challenge yourselves to grow closer
I know what you’re thinking, “I already sleep in this fool’s drool and tolerate all 16 of his baby cousins, how can we get any closer?” If you’ve clocked some time, this type of physical closeness and personal familiarity is unavoidable. What we’re talking about is not tolerating someone else’s farts, but continuing to get to know each other. Chances are, you both have grown and evolved since you first started dating. When is the last time you asked your girl what her biggest fear was? Talked about childhood memories? Revisited your 5-year plan? There is no day more appropriate than your anniversary to reconnect with and acknowledge the evolved version of your significant other. Use this time well.
3. Plan for your future
Speaking of 5-year plans, I certainly hope you have one. Where do you see your relationship going? A few years in, you should have a better idea than you did in year one. I’m not telling you to decide on a wedding date, but what do you really want from each other? Do you think you should move in together? Should you think about sharing finances? One major subject young couples forget to think about is career. Are your career goals aligned? If these questions are too stressful, look at it less as planning and more as a day to fantasize together. Draw out your dream house, imagine your future baby names, set a savings target. Don’t miss this perfect opportunity to set some end goals and get serious with yourselves.
4. Surprise the shit out of bae
Finally, the most obvious yet underutilized way to keep your anniversary special is to plan for surprise. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you establish your anniversary as a day for a little spontaneity, your girl or guy will be able to anticipate it for weeks or even months beforehand; and anticipation builds happiness. Triple points if the anticipation is of an event or experience, say a romantic baecation (yes we are using that word), instead of a material possession. Spend the year plotting, then use the anniversary to finally take her to that festival she’s been talking about or finally get those matching tattoos you swore you’d get. Your anniversary should be the one day your honey can expect the unexpected and revel in capricious satisfaction. Look at your anniversary date not as another mundane exercise of love, but as a testament to your relationship.
Whatever you choose to do or not do on your anniversary, please at the very least put in a little effort. The love gods will smile upon you and your relationship karma will only go up … way, way up. (Translation: you’ll have many more anniversaries to celebrate).
