Happy Valentine's Day. Can your romance be changed in four seconds?

​Do you know what I love? Seeing an elderly couple still in love. Holding hands. Kissing. The secret smile between the two of them. The way they joke with each other but remain respectful. The way they never tear each other down in front of others. I’ll bet at home she makes a special dinner and he brings her a token gifts to show they are thinking of each other.
But what is Romance?
I was shocked when I googled the definition of romance and one of the first hits I found was in Collins dictionary.
A romance is a relationship between two people who are in love with each other but who are not
married to each other.
 
My friend Donna answered, “Lol, not that I have a good record here, but my thought is romance is like buttering up the other person to show them you are interested. Love is being comfortable just being with someone. Lol, usually romance stops once the honeymoon is over.”
But, darn it! I want both. I want the butter and the bread. And lucky for me I found a man who wants the bread and butter too! No, it’s not all sunshine and unicorns. We have our dust-ups too. However, there is a solid base of respect, affection, and caring that makes it easier to get over.
 
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and so many have expectations of enchanting candlelight dinners, flowers, chocolate. Heartfelt cards. Maybe an engagement ring. But so often we set ourselves up for disappointment. So let’s change this around. Romance shouldn’t be relegated to one particular day on the calendar. You’ve heard the expression Christmas in July, right? Let’s make a conscious effort to have Valentine’s Romance every day. Yep, even when you don’t feel like it.
How do you keep the romance going? It takes work. Wait you say. Work? Romance should just happen shouldn’t it? Uhm, no. Remember when you fell in love? The little things you did for each other? A note here. A kiss there. Holding hands. Didn’t you make time for each other? I know. I know. Your busy. I’m busy. We’re all busy.
But really let’s break this down. How long does it actually take? There are 86,400 seconds in a day.
One second. A kiss on the cheek.
One second. “I love you.”
One second. “You look nice.”
One second. A pat on the toosh when you pass each other.
So what are YOU going to do for the other 86,396 seconds.

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