Ah, Love! Is Romance Alive Today?
Saint Valentine’s, red hearts, flowers, cards, special gifts, candle light dinner, balloons. Holding hands, kissing on the street, caress on the forehead. Surprises, excitement, longing, intimacy. Is romance alive today?
We live in quite cynical, pragmatic world nowadays. We’re used to doing things only to expect some payback as our time is so limited that we don’t have any time to waste on random, emotional stuff. Our practicality is transferring from the material world to the matters of the heart.
Reciting a poem in the open under the starry night was the ultimate expression of love for our grandparents. Our parents used to write long letters, permeated with emotion, confusion, sadness and hope.
Even in my time, we used to give a photograph away with a heartfelt dedication on the back. The digital era swept romance away, and in a relatively short space of time all of the above mentioned became quite outdated.
I’ve been told many times by friends or acquaintances, sometimes with condescending tone, that I’m just way too romantic and I have to get my head out of the clouds into the real world.
I’ve even been told, quite sharply and abruptly, that I’m not a princess and I can’t expect a man to bring me down the stars. Well, I was hurt by the collision of my vision of love and society’s dismissive views. But I’ve never accepted their stance as my own, as Louise Hay says: “It might be true for them, but it doesn’t need to be true for me.” I kept going through life with the belief, sometimes shaken or tarnished, that there is romance in this world and I’m going to find it.
If you are a romantic person like me, I have good news – there is romance in this world!
I know it because I have found it and experience it on a regular basis. I have an interesting formula for it, which can help you if you’re either romantic or just trying to bring a bit more excitement/ variety in your relationship or marriage. There are two components of the formula.
The first and primary factor is to express your romantic side – let your partner know who you are, what you need and start giving it to yourself first.
This point is also valid if you’re single and looking to attract a meaningful, romantic relationship. Arrange romantic dinners for yourself, buy presents for yourself with or without an occasion, treat yourself to beautiful flowers, fancy chocolates or any other treat you enjoy. This way you’re setting the tone, showing what you like and need and instead of desperately demanding it, you just fulfil your own needs first and foremost. If you think it’s too expansive or unreasonable to spend money on a bouquet of flowers, then your partner will mirror your belief and it’s less likely to happen.
The second factor is, of course, the other person – whether they are willing to take up your example and needs.
Maybe you’re thinking: “Oh, only women are romantic, my husband/ partner is not such type of person.” And you could be right to a certain extent, as it depends on personality. But most of all, it depends on their desire to make you happy and satisfied, and there is no greater reward for a loving man than to see his woman happy. Sometimes you can hear a man saying, or his friends commenting: “I’ve never known that he was so romantic!”
To which I always quietly think – it’s not that he is so romantic, but the right woman has unlocked his potential, the romantic side that all men possess.
So, my dear romantic friends, romance is alive – if you decide to express it, claim it and experience it. As all good things in life, it takes energy, effort and commitment. But I think it’s totally worth it because it makes life so beautiful, exciting, nurturing. Lifelong commitment is based on the everyday bricks that we lay down for a steady foundation, on the stones with which we pave the path to our journey together. And to you, how would you express you romantic side this week?
