Simple Ways to Make Your Relationship More Fun

kim & jason kotecki

88

.com

Whether you’ve been together thirty days, thirty weeks, or thirty

years, Adultitis has a nasty habit of trying to strip the fun out

of any relationship. In order to go the distance, you need to get serious

about not taking yourself so seriously. This guide contains eight missions

for you and your sweetheart to solve that will add more adventure,

laughter and silliness to your relationship. They don’t require a lot of time

or money, but if you do them together, we promise that your relationship

will be more fun, exciting and adventurous than it is right now.

Laugh more. Fall in love all over again. Bring back the spark you enjoyed

when you first started dating. Ready? Let’s do this.

Your friends,

.com

Your first mission is to draw a picture and hide it in an unexpected place for your sweetheart to find.

If you are freaking out because you’re “not an artist,” take a chill pill.

Pretty much every kid loves to draw, whether they are any good at it

or not. Once we start comparing ourselves to others, the majority of us

stop, leaving anything artistic to the “creative types.”

But spending a few minutes doodling is a great way to tap into that lost

childlike spirit. It could be as simple as drawing a smiley face with the

message “have a nice day.” (Of course we encourage you to flex your

creative muscle as big as you can!) Hide it in a briefcase, under the pillow,

or tape it to the mirror. One woman drew a picture of peas on a post-

doodlesmile

1

.com

it note with the word bubble, “It’s freezing in here!” and stuck it in the

freezer for her husband to find. Go sweet, sexy, or silly…just keep the

element of surprise for the extra cherry on top!

.com

“Try it, you might like it.” We both remember sitting at the kitchen table

when we were kids hearing more than once this suggestion from our

mothers. Mothers really do know best. Normally, this statement was part

of a plea to get us to sample the nasty asparagus, but it also hints at a

deeper wisdom and encourages a childlike spirit of adventure. Many of

us, when we go out to eat, order the same things over and over again.

Your second mission is to eat something you’ve both never had before.

It could be something gross (Kim tried veal baby food once – NOT

recommended) or just something new to your palette (like a new drink, a

new cereal, or even a whole new cuisine). By trying something different

taste bud conspiracy

2

.com

once in a while, we expand our horizons and go a long way toward

thinking and acting in a more childlike way. Likewise, if you want to take

your relationship to new levels, you have to be willing to try new things.

Luckily, it’s a lot of fun to try new things together.

.com

Where is it written that kids get to have all the fun? Why do we have

to say goodbye to some of the things we loved to do as children, just

because the calendar tells us we’re older? The sad fact is that most of us

spend way too much time worrying about what other people think.

Your third mission is to do something together that is typically seen as “inappropriate” for someone your age. (You know, by people who have Adultitis.)

Buy Happy Meals. Get into a snowball fight. Color in a coloring book.

Order a Kiddie Cocktail (aka Shirley Temple) at a restaurant. Build a fort

in your living room. (What you do in there is your business.) If you and

your sweetheart have been together for a decade or more, why not pick

says you

3

.com

something you haven’t done together since your early days of dating?

Whatever it is, make it fun!

.com

The longer you’re together, the easier it is to take one another for granted.

The best way to avoid this jerk move by Adultitis is to do small kindnesses

for each other. (Wait, is kindnesses a word?...Literally just looked it up,

and yes, yes it is. Whew!)

The fourth mission is to do one of these small kindnesses for the other person, but to do it secretly, with the stealthiness of an invisible ninja.

It could be something like starting the car on a cold day before your

partner leaves for work. Or quickly doing a chore for them before they

have a chance to do it themselves. Or just picking up their favorite candy

bar when you stop to get gas. Ok, it’s go time!

undercover kindness

4

.com

500 pennies

Back in the day, a handmade glitter-clad Valentine from your secret crush

was worth more than the whole wide world. In a world infected with

Adultitis, a gift’s value is often determined by its price. That’s messed

up. It’s like the quote from Michael Scott, the bumbling manager played

by Steve Carell in the TV show The Office: “Presents are the best way to

show someone how much you care. It is like this tangible thing you can

point to and say, ‘Hey man, I love you this many dollars worth.’” The truth

is that the value of a gift is more about the meaning behind it, not just the

money it cost to buy it.

Your fifth mission is to buy one another a gift. The only catch: it has to be under $5.

5

.com

It could be useful, meaningful, or downright silly, but remember: it’s the

thought that counts!

And glitter is optional.

.com

accent dinner

Ready to turn the silliness level up to 11? This is a simple but fun way to

make that happen.

Your sixth mission is to have dinner together while talking in a fake accent...even it’s for just five minutes.

We double dog dare you! You can each do different accents, stick to the

same one, or mix them up. Maybe you’re pirates taking a break from

finding buried treasure. Maybe you’re British royalty sitting down for tea.

You could also be sports announcers, surfer dudes, teenage girls, pro

wrestlers, mobsters, aliens, old people, robots, or stuffy Adultitis-ridden

grown-ups.

6

.com

Advanced players might want to go a step beyond: go OUT for dinner

and speak in a fake accent to every stranger you encounter. Your Uber

driver. The hostess. The waiter. The ticket taker. It doesn’t matter what

accent it is, and it doesn’t even have to be very good. You just have to

own it like a boss. The good news is that doing it together can bolster

your courage and makes it tons of fun!

.com

backyard adventure

Ruts are the enemy of every relationship. Big, fat, boring ruts are clear

symptoms of Adultitis, and they are born out of routine.

While there is great value and comfort in routines and traditions, you

need a little variety every once in a while to spice things up and keep your

relationship fresh. It’s easy to eat at the same restaurants and visit the

same local spots, because you know you like them and you don’t have

to think.

Your seventh mission is to break free from the expected, and go somewhere you’ve never been.

Try that hot new restaurant. Go for a drive until you get lost. Explore an

7

.com

area of downtown you’ve never visited. Wander a section of a bookstore

you never frequent. Or check out that local tourist attraction that you’ve

never actually been to.

.com

find marty

One of the best ways to defeat Adultitis is to set booby traps for it.

An Adultitis Booby Trap is a simple item or routine you incorporate into

your life for the purpose of serindipitously reminding yourself to smile,

laugh, or take yourself lightly, particularly when Adultitis levels are at their

highest.

Our favorite Adultitis Booby Trap involves a tiny penguin eraser called

Marty. For many years, we used Gumby’s friend Pokey until we stumbled

upon Marty (who reminded us of the hero on the cover of Jason’s book),

and has since become a champion of dreaming big, ignoring common

knowledge, and not waiting for permission. Almost anything can work,

but the best candidates are small and waterproof.

8

.com

The game is a bit like Hide & Seek, except instead of hiding and finding

each other, you hide Marty. One person starts out with the task of hiding

Marty in a place someone else will eventually find it. The person who

finds Marty is then in charge of hiding him again, as the game continues

indefinitely. The fun comes when you’re pouring yourself a bowl of cereal,

taking a shower, or making copies, and Marty shows up unexpectedly,

bringing with him a smile to brighten your day.

See? An Adultitis Booby Trap.

This game rocks because it’s a super simple way to add a bit of playfulness

at home or work. Kim and I started this game when we were dating after

getting the idea from some college friends.

Our friend Eliz plays this game with her mom, hiding a ceramic hen in

each other’s houses. We were sitting at her dining room table one night

.com

for dinner and she started laughing hysterically. She had not noticed until

just then that the hen was in her china cabinet. Her sneaky mom had put

it there over a week before. So fun!

Your final mission is to start hiding something on each other.

It’s all about adding more fun to your daily routine, easily and inexpensively.

And don’t let the simplicity of this game cause you to underestimate

its effectiveness. We have received countless reports in the last decade

from people all over the world who have been stressing less and having

more fun…all because of a “silly” game.

If you decide to adopt Marty yourself, you can pick one up here. Happy

hiding!

.com

about the authorsKim and Jason Kotecki are best friends, business partners, authors,

retro t-shirt wearers, parents of three weird kids, and partners in crime

on a crusade to annihilate Adultitis! Kim is a former kindergarten teacher

and noodle groupie. Jason is an artist (the illustrations in this guide are

his), professional speaker, and cereal aficionado.

Kim & Jason believe that a life that embraces a childlike spirit is a life that

is less stressful and way more fun. They regularly dish out tons of easy,

inexpensive, and fun ideas to help you live amazing stories and make

memories with the people you love. Through things like their website,

books, products, and Jason’s artwork and speaking programs, they

help organizations eradicate Adultitis and offer real-world strategies,

practical ideas, and permission to live a fulfilling, Adultitis-free life.

.com

It’s hard to defeat Adultitis alone, but there is power in numbers! In

community, we can borrow courage, affirmation, and inspiration from

one another. We created the Escape Adulthood League to connect

like-minded people eager to give Adultitis a swift kick to the shins.

Be part of a vibrant, positive, and encouraging band of Adultitis

Fighters creating lives filled with adventure, meaning, and joy. Swap

stories, experiences, and ideas for fighting Adultitis and creating a life

with less stress and more fun. Join the movement!

Brought to you by the Cure Adultitis Institute.

©2016 by Kim and Jason Kotecki.No animals were harmed in the making of this guide,

but Adultitis took a debilitating shot to the family jewels.

CURE ADULTITIS

2005