Your are years into your marriage. You have just started connecting "love" to the "love handles" around your waist. Every second conversation with your wife is paraphrased with -"those good ol' days...." You also wish that the time machine had been invented and you could just zap yourself back when things where just a wee bit more passionate. The time machine remains a figment for the sci-fi authors but the time is here and now. Don't wait for for your wife to buy you a copy of "Casablanca" before you get the hint. A woman wants romance and theirs no running away from it. You may not be a Bogart but you too can pull of your little blockbuster at home with a little imaginative romantic effort. So here's looking at you...with these tips.
Don't Follow the Clock
Romance doesn't have to begin with a candlelight dinner. Catch her with a gift during the day. Do something unexpected. Call her from office or leave a message of love. Have flowers delivered to her. Build anticipation and she will welcome you with open arms when you reach home.
Put Thought Behind the Gift
The more thought you put in a gift, the more sincere your affection will seem. From eBay to online portals, you are now spoilt for choice. Flowers and chocolates remain the sentimental favorites. But it could be anything else. It could be something down to earth like a hand inked card or a recorded CD of her favorite love songs. Let your creative juices flow and think out of the box. But with each gift don't forget to add a sweet note.
Create Mood
For that perfect mood, select the perfect environment. If it's a restaurant, select one with her tastes in mind. Something quite and private perhaps. If you are planning to romance at home create that mood. Select the music, arrange the lighting. And please switch off the telephone and the television. One good tip I once learnt was to select a variety of songs, from love ballads to instrumentals to slow dancing music. Let the moment cover the entire gamut of emotions.
Learn How to Cook Well
The new age beckons. It's no longer a secret that women too enjoy a well cooked meal. So to turn a cliché on its head, a secret to a woman's heart is through her stomach. A woman appreciates it if her man knows how to cook up a dish. Cooking for the one woman you love is one of the most intimate and personal things you can think about. Even a badly done dish if garnished with enough love can be a wonderful love elevator.
Be a Great Listener
Most women like to pour their heart out and if you want to be a great lover and gentleman, lend her your best ear. You will seem romantic without any effort (though sometimes listening IS an effort!). Be attentive to what she says, look her in the eye and give her your undivided attention.
Be Spontaneous
Love and romance should never feel contrived. Spontaneity is always a hallmark of a great relationship. Be spontaneous with your ardor. I once knew someone whose idea of spontaneous romance included a walk in the rains. Now, that's romantic!
Have a Laugh
Always look at the humorous side of things. Cultivate a good sense of humor. Laughter is not only the best medicine but is a strong love potion too. Romance is strongest when partners share each other's sense of fun.
Do the Housework
Pick a day when your beau has lots of errands to run. Do some for her. Do some together. Make Sundays for doing things together. It's more fun and after all the time leftover can be for togetherness.
Take a New Trip Every Year
Not only through memory land but to real places. Create memories for the future. Do a different thing each year. A couple I know now in their 60's. With kids grown up and gone, they take two vacations every year. The shorter one is for visiting old friends and relatives. The longer ones are for themselves. And they pick a new spot each year. They say that it is one of the most wonderful thing to share new experiences with the one you love.
Relive Memories
Remember the wonder years, when the two of you didn't have a care and tomorrow didn't matter. What it is that you loved so much about her then? Is their some way you can relive those moments? That is perhaps why it is also important to capture those good moments through snaps or videos. A touch of the button can take you back into time. Our memories are the best time machines we have.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.