What India has already taught me [a/k/a what I've learned during this move to Delhi, and how it relates to marriage as I know it ... a SAHM with two littles and a big kid at home, with a very hard-working husband] :
BE CREATIVE.
Whether you are thousands of miles away or the only miles that separate you are the 20 or so miles between home and work, motivate yourself to be creative with your husband.
I have tried to come up with simple ways to make this separation easier on everyone and more enjoyable. We're going on three months and I really wanted my Husb to understand that we think of him all of the time ... miss him terribly and are literally counting down the days until we're back in the same zip code again. (Do they call them zip codes overseas?)
- Take random photos throughout the day with your camera and email them to him. Let him be a part of your day with the kids. What may be mundane, silly or normal everyday to you (i.e. grocery shopping WITH kids) is something that he very rarely gets to participate in. Let him in for a bit on your life.
- Send him an email on random occasions with an attached .mp3 file of a song that makes you think of him.
- Send a card with him on his next business trip, or to his place of employment. Whether it be from you or from the kids, it will brighten his day to have something cheerful to open.
- If he goes to bed before you do and rises before you in the morning, leave a note in the bathroom for him to read as he's getting ready for work.
- Designate a code word for the two of you that signifies something special. Use it in a quick email ... or at the beginning of a Skype call. Use your code word artfully and take a photo of a 'creation of sorts' that illustrates your code word.
- Change your pin number for your debit card or a password for something you use often to commemorate a special moment/date/memory that you share with your husband. Nothing like memory recall when you type/enter that!
There are 100s of other cheap, free and creative ways to celebrate your relationship and provide reminders of home. What other suggestions can you add?
