Be My Lover Bunny

Jeanie smiled at her husband, Dave. “From the beginning of our marriage, we’ve had fun together. Even when the children came alone, we still managed to find time for each other.”

“Not as much time as before kids, but we always found some time,” Dave added. “And that didn’t end when we entered the empty nest. We simply filled our nest with bunnies!”

When we visited in their home, sure enough, rabbits were everywhere! They even have four stuffed bunnies who travel with them. But their fun relationship is about more than bunnies. That’s just the beginning.

Jeanie told us. “For years we’ve had pet names for each other—not just two or three—we have hundreds!”

“What’s your favorite?” I (Claudia) asked.

She answered with a smile, “Lover Bunny.”

They also have special kisses. They send each other love letters. At airports they fake good-bye kisses and then get on the plane together. And at the grocery check-out counters, Dave often asks Jeanie to marry him all over again.

Their light-heartedness influences other areas in their relationship—even areas of conflict. Years ago they came up with the ten-minute silence rule. At any time, either can call for ten minutes of silence. If the nonverbal is a problem, they also have an out-of-sight-for-ten-minutes rule. This helps them calm down and get things back in perspective.

What has kept this couple’s fifty-plus-year marriage happy and delightful? In our hearts we know their secret . . . and then we heard the confirmation . . . Fun and laughter is a key to a great marriage . . . Couples who play together, stay together!

And Dave and Jeanie are the living proof!

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.

HERODOTUS, THE HISTORY OF HERODOTUS,
BOOK II