Splitsville News

A British divorce attorney has apparently started advising clients to take up dance lessons if there’s a chance of reconciling.  I’ll admit the Daily Mail headline, “The couple that sway together, stay together… TV divorce lawyer advises ballroom dancing to save marriage”, sounds like fertile ground for a number of snide comments (”TV divorce lawyer”–really?…”advises ballroom dancing”–who made her the expert?…”to save marriage”?…doesn’t that seem at odds with her line of work?).  But, even though the story serves up a number of odd contradictions about the TV divorce lawyer (Ms. Vanessa Llyod Pratt), I think her advice is worth considering.

Here are the merits to her advice, as I see them:  Novelty can be a boon to romance, as can simply raising your heart-rate near that someone special.  Dance enough, and you’ll probably tone up parts of your body that weren’t so shapely before.  What’s more, coordinating your dance steps requires communication, something that couples with troubled marriages can often benefit from focusing on.

Not a dancer? Not looking to kick up your heels?  Well, there’s a world of novel, heart-racing, communication-dependent activities out there.  My two cents:  Get the conversation going by talking with the other person about sounds fun to you both.