Screens lurk almost everywhere in our culture. Televisions pop up in restaurants, bars and every room of the house. Tiny screens on telephones keep us connected to a greedy visual age. Computer screens at work strain our eyes and sitting at them strains our backs. What if all that input just went away? Who would you trust to guide you through a visual world if you could not see? This date explores both the sense of sight and the idea of trust as it invites you to see the world through your partner’s eyes.

This date offers a great deal to both the receiver and the giver. If the receiver imagines that spending an hour without the sense of sight is the same as darkness, then he or she will experience a huge surprise. Life without sight is rich and full. Imagine traveling just outside the familiar and testing your senses in a playful, positive way. Is it true that your other senses are enhanced when you cannot see? How does your mind store images? Without visual input do you remember places as movies or still shots? Can you count on the person you love to guide you safely through the minefield of trip hazards otherwise known as a parking lot? Will they walk beside you comfortably and tell you what you need to know about the environment?

The giver assumes a special responsibility on this date. One minute your partner relied on you for just a small list of items. Perhaps you always make coffee in the morning and fix the computer when it misbehaves. Still, since most people do most things for themselves, the moment your partner stops seeing, the list explodes. In this limited context, the length of your job description shouldn’t tax your patience; it should be just enough to tap the reservoir of energy associated with having compassionate power.

Whether you hate having control or love the emotions it conjures up, just knowing what it feels like to assume total charge will leave you with a heightened respect for the steering wheel of power couples often battle over.

More significantly, you’ll constantly ask yourself “How does my partner perceive this experience?” You will absolutely know he or she does not see what you see. Ultimately, you will experience this truth: your partner never sees what you see. No matter how long you’ve been together and how much you have in common, the lenses he or she uses to view the world are different from yours. Periodically peering through those lenses and seeing life from another’s perspective is a gift no one should hide in the closet.