Romance is a thing of the character.
Being romantic is beyond any particular person. It's more than wanting a lover or nurturing a relationship.
Being romantic is a way of life.
It's the love you feel for the beauty of the trees and the flowers and the sky and the sun and the moon and the stars.
It's the times you stand still and listen to what the wind is trying to tell you.
It's the joy you feel when you return home to find your dogs and you cats waiting for you by the door.
It's the feeling your guts are being torn apart by worrying over your loved one who is in a surgical room.
It's the gentleness with which you pick up a wounded pigeon, the attention with which you take care of it until it's ready to fly away.
It's how the idea of letting it go breaks your heart, but still you don't hesitate to open your palms.
It's the heartbreak of watching it leave you, overshadowed by the fierce pride you feel for your winged survivor.
It's the nights you lay awake in bed and cry into your pillow, thinking about all the kids that are crying themselves to sleep.
It's the way a piece of music can make your spine tickle and your chest swell, and you feel like you'll burst with all that music in you.
It's how kind words on your lips can bring a smile to people frowning with worry.
It's how you shrink into insignificance the first time you hold a newborn baby in your arms.
It's the tenderness with which you place your hand on a grieving shoulder.
It's the truth you find when looking into someone's eyes.
And, yes, romance is the absolute surrender to a lover.
Romance is...
...deliberate...
...mindful...
...love.
Signed,
A Romantic for life
(Even if it kills me)
