What is Romance?

Is romance the dinners, flowers, and small gifts you receive from your special someone or is it something more?

The definition of romance from www.urbandictionary.com:

Romance: True romance is doing something special or unexpected for someone you love, even though you don't have to. Romance isn't a greeting card, it isn't Valentine's Day, it isn't a box of chocolates, and it certainly isn't a dozen roses (unless you like that sort of thing). Real romance is not what modern society had been taught to think it is. Real romance isn't manufactured. It is completely individual. Romance is for showing the person you love that you're thinking about them. It shouldn't feel forced. There are no limits to romance; it can be shown by a handwritten note, by going for a walk, or even by making someone a sandwich. Romance is something simple and sweet that reminds your partner why they fell in love with you in the first place.

From www.merriam-webster.com:

Romance: to have or try to have a romantic relationship with (someone)

               : to give special attention to (someone) in order to get something that you want from that person

               : to talk about something in a way that makes it seem better than it really is

              

From www.dictionary.reference.com:

Romance: a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire.

               : romantic character or quality

               : a romantic affair or experience; a love affair.  

   It appears Merriam-Webster believes romance is material things and fantasy. Do you believe that definition or are you in the group that believes romance is the feeling behind those material things?

   I’ve gathered some opinions from several people. A few authors, editors and readers shared their ideas of romance.

   Let’s see what everyone had to say and decide if their opinions are so different from one another.

Opinions: 

1. Romance is a complex word. It can be used in so many ways, but it's one of those words that never seems to be used negatively. There is a lot of emotion in that word. If you point at two people and say, "They're in love," it doesn't have as much impact or draw as much interest as if you were to say, "They're having a romance."

   That one word represents so much, love, respect, attraction, passion and many other things. It's more than just a word. I would rather spend a romantic getaway with a woman instead of just going away with someone I love. I've heard people ask couples who have been married for a long time if there is still romance in their lives. Of course they love each other, but is there romance? It's one of those words I could write thousands of words about. ~ Robert (Author)

2. Romance to me…that first spark of something familiar attracting that special someone, the excitement of it, but then also getting to know that person. Seeing what clicks and what may need work, but also compromising to make not only that person happy and feel loved but to have that person want to do the same for you. It’s about the journey individuals take to becoming more, something greater than what they started out as. Sometimes this journey lasts a lifetime, sometimes a very short period, but I like to believe we all learn something from our time spent with that someone else.  ~ Steph (Editor)

3. To me romance is the perfect blending of physical and emotional chemistry. Something we all have experienced at one time or another. Often, the heat burns out quickly, but in true romance, the emotional and intellectual chemistry is strong enough to pull the couple through trying times and tests to their commitment. The physical chemistry is the glue that bonds the couple together, making the perfect blend that we know as romance.

   That's why I write and what I have experienced at various times in my life. When everything comes together, it's heady—like the greatest high no drug can duplicate. Even if it burns out quickly, for the time that it was skyrocketing, that memory stays with your forever.  ~ Jean (Author)

4. Thank you for including me, Ariana. I'm the old fashioned type of romantic, I believe in calling her on the phone, no texts messages, holding doors open, sending her little love notes, bringing her flowers; the whole nine yards. I also believe in getting to know her. What her likes and dislikes are and supporting her however I can.

   True romance is when two people can't live without each other, and still respect each other's boundaries. You give each other the space they require and accept them for who and what they are, and they you. ~Bob (Author) 

5. My opinion on Romance: I believe every relationship should have romance in it. Romance keeps the passion alive between the people involved. It shows the other person in the relationship how much you care and how much you feel for them. Romance will make a person's heart beat faster, their breathing come faster and it will make them feel loved and cherished. Romance is a wonderful thing to have in a relationship. ~ Chastity (Reader) 

6. The struggle toward the happy ending. The chemistry between the main characters. I know we all love a happy ending, but I love it when they have to work for it. When it's not always rainbows and sunshine, but the fight to get their happily ever after. A fight to get their forever kind of love. To fight for the love they have for each other. That's what the definition of romance is in my eyes. ~Katie (Reader)

   So, are people’s opinions really that different? The people describing their ideas of romance may word things differently, but the romance they describe is the same—an emotional connection that surpasses any physical attachment.

   I have heard stories of people who believe receiving things from significant others occasionally is their idea of romance. Maybe that is romance to them, but to the people who helped with this blog, and to me, romance isn’t material objects. The romance lies in the meaning behind those gifts, especially when they are “just because.”

   What is romance to you?