What is Romance? Does it have the same meaning to everyone in the universe?
When you look in the dictionary you don’t see a picture of a prince or princess, you get don’t get the answer of romance is fairy-tale.
Here’s what I got when I searched.
Romance:
Noun: a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deed, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.
Now, can we make sense of this? I read this as it was the first definition that came up and thought is romance history? Is it in our imagination, and really don’t exist? I find it hard to understand how romance could be done for. I mean, I write about happily ever after’s, and believe that we all have a prince charming somewhere in the world.
This week we will focus on how romance seems to be dead, I mean that’s what the dictionary tells me.
If it’s really dead, then every fiction book written about love is like a history book. When we create the perfect world for the reader, are we giving false facts in the past?
I got to thinking about the last romantic thing the other half did for me, and as a wife for the last eighteen years, and mother I had to think hard. I remember back in the dating years, the time when it was hot and cumbersome. I mean let’s insert butterflies, stars, and fireworks timeframe.
One moment rings a bell to the sweet historical romance of our courtship.
A rose…
It wasn’t just any rose, as this one would never die. Your typical date night as teenagers, stopping for a quick soda on the way home after hanging out with friends. I had sat in the car as I waited for him to bring what I think would have been a Dr. Pepper. Worried that curfew was approaching and he was taking his sweet, loving time. As he entered the vehicle, he handed me my drink first and leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the end of my nose. From behind he pulls out a red rose, wrapped in plastic and handed it over to me.
Now that the mood is set as a super romantic moment let me explain that our lovely Mr. Willard is not the romantic fireworks, bells, and doves type. I remember him telling me that it was like our love, it would never die. The single silicone wrapped rose was artificial, and at first I remember thinking ‘oh this is really sweet.’ Being the typical girl, I blushed and shrugged it off as nothing.
Years later as we packed our belongings and moved across the state and then to a new state, I found that same rose.
I’m allergic to most flowers, and we currently have a mutual agreement to not buy them as I never know which ones will flare me up. Tonight as I think back to that rose, I don’t know where it went. Was it tossed away? Did I pack it away to one day find it again when I least expect it? I don’t know the answer to that one.
Those years of the heavy romance were active and continued for years. Days have turned into many years later and the passion has changed. Now it’s become the mere surprise of bringing home a bag of Twizzlers, a night off from cooking, or the simple conversation enjoyed between a husband and wife. It doesn’t mean romance is dead, or something left in an imaginary setting.
It only means romance changes over time.
Does this mean I write the novel that I yearn for? No, because I’ve learned that as we grow our colorful world of love becomes stronger. It becomes more about the simple needs, the trust that you have with your partner, or knowing that when you are sad you’ll always have them by your side.
This week I focus on the Noun of romance and I’m still surprised by the rest of the definitions listed.
- The colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.
- A medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.
- A baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.
- A romantic spirt, sentiment, emotion, or desire.
- Romantic character or quality.
- A romantic affair or experience; a love affair.
Okay, I agree with the whole made-up story part of this, but I don’t believe it’s historical or imaginary. I’m still that girl in the car after finishing up the date that gets butterflies and understands that our romance has grown in more ways than one through the years. It’s not dead, it’s a new set of rules. It’s become the pure gratitude of having a life partner, one to experience the ups and downs in life with.
Tonight I say romance is very much alive, and I’ll still work on the made-up story for the next novel. Until that happens, I’ll search for my rose that I know is in this house somewhere, as romance will never be dead.
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Answer’s provided by Dictionary.com
