Welcome to all our new readers. Glad you have joined us. There are many great things happening at Marriage Fully Alive. God continues to be faithful. As do you. Many thanks.

Ok, shameless plea time. I am asking each of you to help me spread the message that there is more that can be experienced in life and marriage. To do this, I am asking for you to do 2 things. One, forward this newsletter to at least one other person you think might enjoy our discussions. And two, if you are not already a subscriber to The Simple Marriage Project, head over there and join. It's free and readership is growing fast. As you sign up, ask others to do so as well. There are many great posts about getting more out of life and marriage. Here's a peek at the top 6:

1. How to Have an Affair… With Your Spouse.
2. 5 Steps Toward a Simple Marriage
3. The 21-Day Complaint Free Marriage Experiment
4. 7 Marriage Hacks to More Passion and Adventure
5. The Simple Answer to a Lasting Marriage
6. Marital espresso: Wake up to an intentional marriage.

Check them out!

A grassroots community has formed and is growing thanks to you. The shameless plea is now over.

I look forward to what's to come down the road. Glad you're here.

 

 

8 Principles for a Zen Marriage

1. Do less. A Zen life is not a lazy life. It is a life devoted to work and others. A Zen Marriage could be the same. Most people seem to try to pack too many things into each day. Leaving you both tired and often leaving many things left undone. Plan to do only one or two things together, starting on the weekends. Keep a family schedule and work to keep it focused on a few things each week.
2. Put space between things. When scheduling things, don't schedule things too close together. Leave time between activities. Allowing more time to enjoy each thing and less rushing around from place to place.
3. Do one thing at a time. How often are you with your spouse and each of you are doing something different? Spend time together doing the same thing. When you are having a conversation, just talk and listen, don't pay the bills or watch TV as well. When you eat together, turn off other distractions and eat together. Begin the process of single-tasking.
4. Whatever you do, do it slowly and deliberately. Take your time and learn to enjoy more of the moments as they occur. Slow down. Make your actions deliberate, not rushed and random. With practice, everything in your marriage can be done slowly and deliberately. Everything.
5. Plan daily zazen. Zazen is the practice of meditation. Whether sitting or walking or cleaning, incorporate some meditation time into each day. For me, I use this time not only for meditation but for spiritual pursuits as well. Prayer. Study. Experiencing God and His blessing. The key is daily regularity. Even it is just five minutes, spend some time separately or together sitting and experiencing what's going on around you.
6. Serve others. Being a servant is not only good for the community, it's good for you as well. It teaches humility. Patience. Compassion. It also helps you serve your partner in marriage. Seek out opportunities to serve others with your family. It will teach valuable lessons to your children.
7. Designate time for certain things. Similar to point #3, set aside time to do the things important to you in your marriage. Consider a weekly date night. An afternoon walk together. If it's important to you, plan ahead to include it.
8. Live simply. At the core of a Zen Marriage and life is living within necessity. There is no law saying what should be essential for you — but you should consider what is most important to your life, and make room for that by eliminating the other less essential things. Clear away the clutter and distractions.