~ Romantic Reception

Romance is all around you.  You simply have to know where to begin looking for it!  With a society filled with instant food, instant messaging and instant results, it’s difficult to think about having to actually do something on your own without assistance.  Romance is work without the assistance of a computer or other electronic device that can make it easier on you.  When you are dealing with romance, you are working on a relationship with another human being and one-on-one attention and contact cannot be substituted.  Your mission to accept as one of the newest hopeless romantics is to truly listen to your spouse.  You aren’t just listening to him or her, though.  You are really hearing what they are saying to you.  He or she is your greatest romantic idea resource available and you can move on to other resources from there. 

First of all, if you are searching for romantic ideas it is a good idea to keep a small notebook or voice recorder on your being so that you can make note of your ideas to use at a later date.  Now is the time that you heighten your awareness level as to what you hear and see with your spouse.  Once you feel you have a good idea or feel for what he or she may enjoy, you can move on to other resources.

Take a look at the your favorite magazine or newspaper.  You will find that you most likely have a particular way you read the paper or skim through your magazine.  Go back and look at everything you may have missed while skimming or flipping through the pages.  Even one page with an incredibly romantic idea for you is worth the extra few minutes it takes to browse your reading material.  Eventually, your eye will start skimming for this type of information automatically.

Pay attention to your spouse and what he or she pays attention to.  If he is incredibly proud of his Italian heritage, it isn’t exactly a hobby but an interest that can spark all kinds of romantic ideas for him.  Some of the most common interests spouses notice with each other can include pets, comics, college, movies, books, golf, puzzles, food, shopping, clothes, music, specific wars throughout history and more.  Can you think of something like these suggestions that you connect with your spouse?  Would your spouse be able to say what your interests include?  It could be an interesting exercise to have a discussion about with your spouse!

When you have ‘received’ all of the information you feel you need from and about your spouse, it’s time to tweak your reception.  You probably have an extensive list of information, but many items can most likely be fine-tuned even further.  If his favorite color is green, do you know exactly what shade of green is his favorite?  She loves chocolate, but does she love dark or milk chocolate more?  Can you prepare your spouse’s coffee for them to perfection? 

Open up the reception in your ears to a whole new way of discovering your spouse through interests and romance.  Don’t discount anything and never stop listening.  Your discovery and learning process should never end!