What is romance exactly? According to Webster's dictionary it's a "marked by expressions of love or affection."
I was conditioned early to believe romance is what the media defines it. "Chick flicks" have convinced the female population that romance is writing ones name in a book to serendipitously find one another the day before one's wedding. Or perhaps falling in love with a woman who was the recipient of your dead wife's heart. Girls today spend way too much time swooning over the heroes in these movies. Thirty years later, still swooning, they are still waiting for Patrick Dempse to sweep them off their feet (he was pretty smooth in can't buy love). I like to refer to this as the "chick-flick syndrome".
Are there truly couples living a chick flickesque fantasy? Truthfully, in my youth I believed that love was some mystical, magical affair full of moments that took your breath away. As an adult I view romance and love a little differently.
McKay was the biggest blessing in my life and I love him dearly. Do a herd of butterflies let loose in my abdominal cavity each time I look at him? No. But sometimes in the morning when he is still sleeping I catch myself looking at him and wondering how I got so darn lucky. Do we spend our evenings dancing in a candle-lit, rose petal scattered room? Not as of today (not sure it's physically possible for us to dance due to our foot plus height difference). Usually I fall asleep giggling over some humorous declaration McKay has made (last week he boldly pronounced "I'm bringing cannibalism back"). McKay doesn't leave me love poems, he does something even better. He tells me at least ten times a day he loves me, is constantly doing thoughtful things and makes me feel like I am the perfect girl for him. I sure am glad my romance is not a replica of the most recent chick flick.
Sometimes I worry about the way romance and love is portrayed by the media. Working with the youth, I have seen how easily they are influenced. They learn that love and relationships are lustful, physical and perfect (this is my major problem with a popular book, now movie series which shall remain nameless). If they are not grounded by good, realistic influences they may rush off and jump into marriage unprepared and with an expectation of grand romantic gestures and a perfect life. I am not saying chick flicks should be banned from society (I am not a major fan of chick flicks, but there are a handful with redeeming quality and can definitely serve as a good source of entertainment). Do these unrealistic ideas of romance become embedded in our subconscious and effect our expectations of marriage and love? At the first sign of difficulty are some dreams of a fairy tale relationship crushed and a relationship become irreparable? In a world where divorce is rampant, does real love really stand a chance?
Perhaps I am being a bit dramatic. I guess I must have a little Christina in me after all.

Ah, romance at it's finest.


