How do YOU define Romance?
To me, one of the most romantic gestures is writing a poem for the one you love. It costs no money, but it takes a great deal of time and thought. You need to think about your love for the person and express it in words.
When I think of romance I also think of a couple who has written their own wedding vows. The love letters my mother keeps in her sock drawer...My father was a merchant marine, and every time he left (6 months out of every year) he'd send her one every month. She kept every one. My grandmother, who was the first in her family to *not* have an arranged marriage-she was widowed when I was four and still wears her rings because she still considers herself married.
I guess with me, romance cannot come without sentiment.
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Fiz
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This is exactly how I feel. I believe that romance comes from within, like the poem I'm writing, and not from spending money on an expensive box of chocolates that would be eaten within minutes anyway. No thought has really gone into the chocolates, but with the poem it has. And like you say, it doesn't cost anything. It's all in the thought that counts.
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Fiz
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Shared contentment is the most romantic feeling of all.
My boyfriend and I do this a lot and it's amazing. I can talk to him about anythign and be 100% myself. He does too.
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The only person in the world that can truly make you happy is yourself.
So, can anyone give a step-by-step or categorical "Cliff's Notes" version of what it takes to behave romantically? Keep in mind that your audience consists of Aspies, nit-pickers, and other literal-minded people.
Thank you.
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That's a cute definition, but what does it take to behave romantically?
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The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
I guess I received too many gifts based on guilt instead of love over the years to last me a lifetime.
Romance to me is a thought...a simple gift while you where away that says you missed having me around...even if you only paid .25 for it from a vending machine, or you made it from toothpicks on your lunch break.
Spending time with me sharing things together because you want to...not because you feel you have to. Making me laugh when I'm down...huddling under a blanket together on a cold starry night...or a walk in the rain.
I'm with you - traditional romance makes me uncomfortable. Poetry is just embarrassing. I don't want to stare into someone's eyes over a candlelit meal (obvious reasons). I find it romantic when my Sweetie picks me up a tin of Altoids or a Skor bar - something I really want.
A walk to the coffee shop is always nice, too!
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People are always trying to make me have fun. What if I don't like their fun? I'll make my own fun.
A lot of what I see described as romantic behavior - glances, caresses, thoughtful gifts, clowning, silly jokes - could fall under the legal definition of Sexual Harrassment.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment."
Unfortunately, this leaves open the definition of what constitutes "Sexual" while also focussing on the "Unwelcome" part. So, if you greet someone on the job with a smile and "Good Morning" every day, accidentally bump into them, send them a "Be Happy" greeting card, make a face, or say something that is funny, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a sexual harassment charge.
So the most I've been able to glean from this thread and the above Civil Rights Act, is that Romanticism somehow involves doing things that the other person welcomes.
C'mon, people! Give a clueless Aspie some help! I don't ever again want to hear the words, "For someone so smart, you can be stupid sometimes." Even when said with a smile by the woman I love, it still stings a little.
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The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
So the most I've been able to glean from this thread and the above Civil Rights Act, is that Romanticism somehow involves doing things that the other person welcomes.
C'mon, people! Give a clueless Aspie some help! I don't ever again want to hear the words, "For someone so smart, you can be stupid sometimes." Even when said with a smile by the woman I love, it still stings a little.
You've hit it on the head - wanted vs. unwanted attention is where the truth of the matter lies. I think that there are a couple of things a couple has to agree on if they want their relationship to survive, and the first is that they both have to have similar ideas on romanticism. If I were involved with someone who wanted to have a traditionally romantic relationship, with flowers and candlelit dinners and long walks on the beach, that someone I was involved with would be VERY disappointed, and would probably assume that the relationship was failing, because I'm not going to be willing to do any of that stuff.
Hence, although it's kinda weird, I think any couple should discuss what's expected of their time together in order for both parties to be able to properly interpret one another's behavior. I'm also very clear with people - I don't have the time or energy to try to interpret your hints, clues, and subtle body language - tell me what you want, or it's probably never gonna happen. If having to be this explicit bothers you, I'm the wrong girl for you.
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People are always trying to make me have fun. What if I don't like their fun? I'll make my own fun.
So ... romanticism requires having willing involvement in mutual interests. That's one ...
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The mere fact that science may not yet adequately explain an object, event, or experience does not mean the immediate explanation should automatically default to a conspiratorial, extraterrestrial, paranormal, or supernatural cause.
