julietsierra
Posts: 1841
Joined: 9/26/2004 Status: offline
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Depending on what we're doing, it can mean any number of things. Today, "quality time" can mean the time he and I spend together with me doing is feet and nails. It's a ritual we have that we engage in each and every time we're together at some point in the day or night. Tomorrow, as I do this and he falls asleep because he's had a hard day, while I feel good that he's relaxing, I don't necessarily consider this quality time. When we're working on the boat together it's quality time. He's working on the outside. I'm working on the inside and when he takes breaks, I watch him out the window as he casts his line into the water and all is right with the world. That's quality time. Yet, we're not exactly spending time giving each other our sole undivided attention. It's time spent working together in partnership doign something we each love, but the jobs are separate AND because the boat's in Canada and I don't have a Canadian fishing license, fishing together at those break times isn't something we can do together either. Time on the phone together each morning at the same time is quality time of a different sort. No, we don't see each other when we spend this time together, but we talk about what each of us has planned for our day, consult each other about something on our jobs in which we'd appreciate an outside opinion and just laugh together. We're not exactly "together" at those moments, yet I wouldn't trade those times for anything. Even when we've been together all weekend (and so, not on the phone), I look forward to Monday morning when we can talk and reminise about the weekend. Quality time is what you make of it - at least to me. It doesn't have to be long soulful conversations until late in the night, but those are wonderful. Sometimes it can be utter silence as we simply enjoy the night. Silence is something we're comfortable with amongst ourselves. I learned about quality time when I planned a fantastic vacation for me and my other family members. We had this very full itinery...I thought I was giving them something wonderful. Their memories of the vacation? "Remember when we went on vacation and spent that night hopping on the bed? Mom kept telling us to cut it out and we just giggled and wouldn't stop, so she batted us down with the pillows! It sure was fun!!" Quality time is what you make of it. So long as both people are present in the moment and content with what they're doing, it's quality. At least to me. juliet
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