Isn't It Romantic

Ah, romance...the sun on the horizon as I sit, curled up next to real man sipping a great glass of wine.  Our sailboat gently rocks in the waves as we sit silently listening to everything and hearing only the sounds of nature.  It is as if nothing exists beyond the two of us on this sailboat.  As if we have been given a perfect moment in which nothing matters beyond the touch of skin, the beating of our hearts, and that we are sharing it.

 

Romance...

 

At some point in a teen's life, the idea of "romance" becomes enticing.  I am not sure at what age that happens; it is probably different for everyone.  But it does happen.

 

I remember high school romance and the stress that the poor boys must have felt in regards to asking a girl to the Prom or another dance.  The girls would giggle and swoon as they discussed, in great detail, the creative ways different boys would pose the invitation. 

 

"How romantic!"

 

In college, things didn't improve much except now the guys were stressed over the creative ways or romantic gestures required in proposing marriage.  Because it isn't just the question or the ring or even the thought of joining your life with someone forever that matters... it is how the question is asked!

 

I am amazed that those college guys ever popped the question given the standards and expectations of the women to whom they were proposing! 

 

These images and memories floated through my mind when someone asked me last week what I considered romantic.  

 

What is romantic?

 

How many people hear "romantic" and begin to stress out just a tad?  How many get a warm fuzzy feeling inside?

 

How many see candle lit dinners with violin music and linen tablecloths and napkins?  

 

A friend of mine offered his own definition:

Romantic:  I would say it is when you do something that is totally for the other person knowing that is what they like.  For me, if my partner scratches my back I consider that to be romantic (because I love it).  If one person is a big hockey fan and the other one takes them to a hockey game, that is romantic.  It doesn't have to fit classical definitions like flowers and chocolate.  Those work too, but the unselfish act of doing something for the other person because you know that is what they like - that is what is romantic to me. 

 

I loved his answer, very different than what I had anticipated. 

 

Romantic is like sexy, I know it when I see it.  I don't know that it has to involve candles or crystal nor that it must be accompanied by a string ensemble playing softly in the background.  This is not to say that these aren't romantic, but they aren't the defining factors.

 

For me, romance is more about the connection and the person with whom I am spending time.  Romance is in the air and the moment more than in the location or the props. 

 

With this in mind, anywhere can be romantic.  From a baseball stadium to an air plane to a camp site in the middle of a forest or on the beach.  The romance is an energy that exists between the couple.  If that energy isn't there, the candlelit dinner with the linen, crystal, and silver table settings, and the strings in the background create a nice evening that falls a bit flat when it comes to romance. 

 

But...

 

Romantic or not, I will take that sunset/sunrise cruise on a sailboat any time!