IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY. LET'S TALK ABOUT ROMANCE

We read romance. We write romance. People say they love romance. But what IS romance> What is it really?

Is it a room filled with flickering, candles whose scent fills the air with a tantalizing aroma? Is it soft music in the background, win chilling in the cooler, Godiva chocolates open on the bedside table? Is it a night at a fabulous resort overlooking the water with the man of your dreams?

Romance is all this and more. In the books we read and write we incorporate all of these things to create an atmosphere, an ambience, for seduction, for sensuality, for the emergence of love? Silky negligees – or no negligee!! – and flower petal strewn across the bed –hopefully with the thorns removed! It’s all of these – a ride in a horse drawn carriage. A sail into the wind with the sun kissing your skin and strong arms holding you.

But romance is a lot more. Here he is, your wonderful (boy friend, fiancé, husband, partner-pick one) and you wonder if the romance is still in your life. Well, honey, if he does the little things you can bet it does.

What little things you say? How about a foot rub when you’ve walked ten miles at an event for your kids? Or your boss/customer gave you the biggest migraine and your honey runs a hot bath for you, draws a hot tub, and when you’re in bed massages your temples and rubs your neck. Or he makes that trip to the grocery store in the pouring rain for the necessities you suddenly ran out of, and comes back with flowers and a candy bar for along with them. It’s holding your head when you’re sick and your hand when you’re scared.

It’s sitting out under the stars in your own back yard, cuddled together and knowing that the safest place in the world to be is with the person next to you. It’s holidays and special days, smiles in the morning when you hate to get up and at night when the day has just sucked.

And most of all, it’s knowing that at the end of the day, no matter how bad things have been, there’s one person who wraps his arms around you, kisses you with the same passion you had in the frantic early days, and tells you “I love you.” And means it.