NOTES - WORKSHOP ON ROMANCE

WHAT IS ROMANCE???   

We all have our own definition of romance.  Maybe a moonlight stroll, cuddling while watching a movie, breakfast in bed, flowers or candy.    Romance can be planned ahead, or spontaneous.  Romance is about showing how much you care.

Last week we spoke of how empathy was a key factor in love.  Romance is about empathy, knowing what your partner likes to hear, how they liked to be touched, their favorite wine, etc.  Romance is very much about feelings.  Romantic love creates an atmosphere of unconditional love and acceptance. 

Romance is about the energy in your relationship, the intimacy between you.  It is about how you wake up in the morning, about how you go to bed at night.  Be open, hug your partner.   Have your hugs filled with love.

IS ROMANCE NECESSARY???  YES!!!

Romance is what keeps the memories of falling in love alive.  It is necessary that both partners act romantically to show each other how important the relationship is.  Show appreciation and gratitude for all your partner does for you.  Make sure they know you notice and appreciate their romantic gestures.  Make romance part of your lifestyle.  Open doors, cook favorite foods, hug, kiss.  Children should see hugs, what they see and hear in a home is how they determine their concept of relationships.

If your partner doesn’t show romance, then romance yourself and romance your partner.  When they see you doing special things for yourself, when they see you doing special things for them a spark may ignite inside where they start to become romantic as well.

If you do not have a partner, then romance yourself.  Take yourself to that movie you want to see, have a massage, or buy flowers.  Surround yourself with candlelight and music.  Get to know yourself.  Do the things you would like to do with your special partner; feel how it would be to share these activities.  Before you know it you will attract that special someone and at the same time realize how special you are.

Yi ng and Yang of Romance

Ying and Yang is a concept of - opposing forces that are interconnected and interdependent.  Day and Night.  Men and woman.  A relationship should also be interconnected and interdependent. 

There is ying and yang in the way men and woman view romance.  Men are usually more goal oriented and often when they marry their goal has been achieved so romance is relegated to special occasions.   They view marriage and dating as completely separate.  Women, on the other hand, want romance to continue and often feel neglected once they become married.  When men and women become aware of the need for romance, when they make it a lifestyle their relationship deepens.

      Romantic Tips and Advice

·         Don’t be afraid to make the first, second or even third move.

·         Say I love, kiss and hug when you wake up in the morning, when you leave for work, when you come home from work, when you go to bed.

·         Be spiritual together.  We are all connected and when we grow spiritually in our lives our relationships grow.

·         Give your lover a kiss on the cheek or a hug spontaneously.

·         Have date nights. 

·         Call during the day to say “I Love you.”

·         Create a list of each other’s likes, and then fulfill them.

·         Give your partner a massage with wine, candles and music.

·         Prepare a special meal.

·         Shower/bath together