I think a large part of the problem is the currently used definition of Romance.
Much like Jack H, I went into this thinking no no no! That’s not what romance is… but, even though our labels are a little different, what you go on to describe at the end, that’s what I call romance.
Grand gestures are nice, like cheesecake. Now and again is lovely, but a steady diet will fuck you up. Yes, I’m basically repeating what you already said. I’m just saying I get that.
Romance, as it is usually represented today, is like a Beyonce or Miley Cyris song. Sounds nice, but really it’s just mindless pop fluff, a caricature of truly great music by those who don’t really understand that greatness, so they mimic the most bombastic, surface, aspects of it.
Romance should be a natural extension of attraction, infatuation, and then actual love, varying, of course, on the person’s capacity to show it. More often, today, it’s a shell around very confused people who don’t seem to get that movies are exaggerated fiction.
However, just because the gestures of romance in this current age of plastic personalities and social media have become overblown performance pieces, doesn’t mean real romance isn’t important and beautiful.
For the record, I think holding someone’s hand and giving it a little squeeze that says I’m thinking about you, is far far more romantic than any hot air balloon ride… and I despise Valentine’s day. :)
