Romancing Alone

I am always surprised about people's definition of romance. Perhaps we are all in thrall to the Valentine card makers, or we just don't see beyond the "significant other" we choose. Yes, love is romantic. But the reason is it romantic is that it implies risk - will she love me if, will he love me as much if I, can I commit to a relationship with. . . it is about how much you risk by giving your heart.

For me, there is nothing more romantic than roaming a new city, relying on my own reflexes, enticing my own instincts. What will I do in a situation that I can't imagine? How will I respond to the beauty of Venice or the antiquities of Prague or the history of Paris? Is the moon different in Seville than Minneapolis? Would the people in Oxford care that I don't have a PhD?

Romance is the most open, sensual, seeking soul's mode when the answers are not pat. When you don't know what will happen; when the rules are unclear. When the road runs forward beneath your feet and you follow to see what will happen, the sun on your face and the moon behind your shoulder. Forward to new experience that will satisfy your need to know, your need to learn, and your need to expand your universe.  This beyond all is the stuff of my dreams.