When you've been married for over 10 years, it's rare to feel your heart race like it used to.

Raising two kids together makes it so familiar, and conversations reduce to things like 'Did you eat?' or 'Do you have plans tomorrow?'

But one day, I suddenly thought,

If we live our lives only in this familiarity, won't we just grow old like friends living together?

So I started to communicate with my husband in a slightly different way.

As if we were dating again. At first, it felt a bit awkward, but saying things like "You look so handsome today"

made me feel shy for no reason, and my husband would say, 'Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?'

But seeing his face brighten a little with those words made me realize, 'Ah, this is the feeling we had forgotten.'

From then on, I complimented him often. Things like 'That shirt looks great on you' and 'Even when I'm tired, hearing your voice makes me feel better.'

And most importantly, when I speak, I look into his eyes and speak slowly.

The more familiar we are, the less we make eye contact, but when we look into each other's eyes again, that strange excitement from back then comes back to life.

Another effective method is to change how we 'listen.'

When my husband talks about work, I used to just let it go, but now I ask, "So what did you do then?"

This makes the conversation longer, and my husband shares his stories more seriously.

It feels like that initial stage of dating when we were getting to know each other again. And sometimes, I throw in a joke.

For example, if I say, "Do you still get excited about me?" my husband laughs and replies, "Sometimes I can't stand looking at you."

Then we both end up laughing, and the atmosphere becomes much softer. Of course, I can't guarantee that this will work for everyone.

Anyway, I believe that reviving excitement in marriage depends more on the warmth of small words than on grand events.

Practicing to talk to each other 'like back then' at least once a day is the biggest secret.

In the end, even couples who have been together for 10 years can feel excited again if they set their minds to it.

Just changing the way we speak a little can make a difference. A simple phrase like "Honey, you make me feel so secure today" can change the whole day.

As we age, love should become a habit rather than just an expression. But I want to say this.

Love is still a living emotion that moves within our conversations.

Tonight, sit at the dinner table and say something to your husband.

"We're still dating, right?"