Isn't It Romantic?

This morning, on my way to work, I experienced romance.  No worries folks, I'm not stepping out on Mr. D.  Rather, my favorite talk radio program was discussing romance and what that term actually meant.  And it sparked some musings from yours truly.  Having a childfree existence does present us with more opportunities than most to be romantic, at least in the traditional sense.  Mr. D loves to cook a nice meal, I love to open some wine or champagne, and we often turn up the Frank Sinatra tunes....you get the idea.  If someone asked you what romance was, wouldn't your first thought be sweet, mushy stuff like buying fresh flowers, soft lights and music, a sunset, a picnic, etc? 

One of my favorite Sex & the City episodes is when Carrie is being "wooed" by Alexander (the Russian) and it completely freaks her out.  He wrote her a song, recited poetry . . . and she found it "icky".  (And truthfully, so did I.  That dude was weird.)  One of the radio-show callers from this morning also lamented that her former boyfriend went over the top with his romantic gestures.  He would rent out an entire restaurant, carriages rides in Central Park, etc.  She said they never just "hung out".  Comparatively, her favorite romantic gesture was when her husband hired someone to clean her house & carpets and iron everything in her closet, because she hates ironing.  Responding to this caller, the host, I feel, summed up the essence of what romance is -  understanding your partner's needs is the most romantic thing you can do.  In other words, they get you. 

Although I may not always consciously realize it, I find it romantic when Mr. D goes by the store on the way home to get something for dinner (so I won't have to)....or when he leaves me alone for 20 minutes when I get home to give me time to decompress.  It's romantic when I'm struggling to get out of bed some mornings and he gets up, feeds the dogs and walks them alone.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the traditional romance fare - candles, roses and champagne - aren't lovely.  They sure as hell are.  Next week, while we are on vacation at the beach, I definitely plan on having those wine and sunset moments.  But take time to appreciate the small things that your partner does for you (i.e., doing laundry without being asked, watching a movie with you that they don't particularly care for, saying you look nice/handsome without being asked.)  You might be surprised how romantic they really are.