1001 Ways to Be Romantic.

Gregory J. P. Godek.

INTRODUCTION.

Love may make the world go 'round, but it's romantic love that makes the ride worthwhile. We need love, but we crave romance (just like you need broccoli, but you crave chocolate!). It's romantic love that allows you to say emphatically, "I'm in love with you," instead of merely, "I love you."

This book is about reigniting passion and deepening intimacy. It is for young and old, singles and marrieds, men and women. It is for you if you want to turn your relationship into a love affair.

Why are so many marriages mediocre and boring? Not because they lack love, but because they lack romance. Love is lukewarm, comfortable-while romance is hot, exciting!

Everyone wants passion and romance in his or her life. But- Some people are uncertain how to create romance. This book shows you how.

Some people are stuck in cultural stereotypes. This book helps you appreciate your partner as a unique and special individual.

And some people have given up the search for romance out of frustration or cynicism. This book will reinspire you.

Love in the twenty-first century is about practicing old-fashioned values with a modern twist. It is about honoring the timeless values of honesty, commitment, and caring, while expressing them creatively, uniquely, and passionately. And this is where romance comes in. Romance, you see, is the expression of love. Romance brings love alive in the world. Without romance, love is a sweet but empty concept.

"I respect and recommend

Greg Godek's writings on love right along with William Shakespeare's."

-Margie LaPanja, author of The Goddess'

Guide to Love.

I believe that expressing love is our purpose as human beings. Therefore, anything that helps you achieve this purpose is a good thing.

There are thousands, millions of ways of expressing love. These 1001 ideas are just the beginning.

Arlo & Janis 1993. Reprinted by permission of Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc.

"Greg Godek explains how to get the woo in wooing."

-Cosmopolitan.

ONCE UPON A TIME...

...two people fell in love. Just like you. They did all the classic romantic things. But the passion faded after a few months. Is this inevitable??

1a He gave her a dozen roses and a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day.

1b She wrote him long, romantic love letters. He sent her greeting cards.

1c They talked and cooed on the phone. During work. And late at night.

1d He took her to see every romantic movie that year.

1e He gave her perfume. She gave him cologne.

1f They celebrated special occasions with a bottle of champagne.

1g She served dinner by candlelight. He served breakfast in bed.

The "Classics" of romance are fine in the beginning.

Then what??

Infatuation and what I call "Generic Romance" only go so far.

...THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Go beyond "Generic Romance." Couples with A+ Relationships* know the secret of creating unique and personal ways to express their love.

*How would you grade your relationship?

A = Passionate, exciting, loving, fulfilling; not perfect-but clearly excellent.

B = Very good, solid, better-than-most, consistent, improving.

C = Average, acceptable, status quo, okay-but static, ho-hum, sometimes boring.

D = Below average, unhappy, dismal; bad-but not hopeless.

F = Hopeless, depressing, dangerous; tried everything, it didn't work.

2 Give your lover a dozen roses-and do it with a creative twist. Give eleven red roses and one white rose. Attach a note that reads: "In every bunch there's one who stands out-

and you are that one."

3 Sending a birthday card isn't just a good idea, it's an obligatory romantic gesture. But how about doing something different this year? On your lover's birthday, send a "thank you" card to his or her mother.

4 Gallantry never really goes out of style. So every once in a while kiss her hand with a flourish. Note: The proper way to kiss a woman's hand is to lower your lips to her hand. You don't raise her hand to your lips.

5 Thoughtfulness is merely the beginning! True romantics know how to go "above and beyond the call of duty": Following a bubble bath you've prepared for her, wrap her in a towel that you've warmed up in the dryer.

These are the secrets of turning your relationship into a love affair!

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT.

6 Gift wrap a wishbone in a jewelry box. Send it to her with a note that says, "I wish you were here."

7 Unplug the TV. Put a note on the screen saying, "Turn me on instead."

8 Go through revolving doors together.

9 Keep candles in the car. Eat dinner by candle light the next time you go to McDonald's.

Chapter Theme Song:.

"Love Don't Cost a Thing,"

Jennifer Lopez.

10 Run your hands under hot water before joining your partner in bed(!) 11 Look-no, gaze-into each other's eyes more often.

12 Write him a little love note. Insert it into the book he's reading.

Pick wildflowers from a field or the side of the road.

The relationship secret that's not really a secret: Express your love in lots of little ways.

BIGGER IS BETTER.

13 Go for it in a BIG way. Pull out ALL the stops. Don't tip-toe into being more romantic. Be outrageously romantic.

14 GIANT BANNERS are available from Supergram. The banners are printed on white or colored paper, and lamination is optional. The banners are about a foot tall, and tend to run from twelve feet long to thirty feet or more, depending on your message. Call 800-3-BANNER, or visit the website at www.supergram.net.

15 Make a GIANT greeting card out of a big cardboard box.

16 Make a custom banner-a BIG banner-to welcome him home from a trip (or just to say "I love you!"). Use construction paper and crayons, or poster board and markers, or old sheets and spray paint.

17 Craig liked doing things in a big way. He was a dramatic and loud (though lovable) kind of guy. Mary, on the other hand, was proper and quiet (and just as lovable). Craig sometimes criticized Mary for not being expressive or outrageous enough. Until...one day when Craig returned home from a business trip and was greeted by Mary-and two hundred forty-three members of the local high school marching band on their front lawn. (Most people don't consider John Philip Sousa marches to be romantic-but Craig does!) Make a gesture that's as big as your heart.

You, too, can probably hire your local high school marching band for a relatively modest donation to its band fund!

CREATIVE GIFTS.

18 Roses are fine-but a simple daisy can really communicate your feelings if you give it with flair. Pick a single daisy. Attach a note that says: "She loves me-she loves me not." (But don't leave anything to chance: Trim the daisy so there is an odd number of petals!) 19 You can create a theme gift-and-gesture by selecting the right love song: Get the song "I Dare You to Move," by Switchfoot-and rent the movie A Walk to Remember, featuring the song.

Get the song "Northern Sky," by Nick Drake-and rent the movie Serendipity, featuring the song.

Get the song "I Love You," by Sarah McLachlan-and rent the movie Message in a Bottle, featuring the song.

20 Here's how you can create a love note that never comes to an end. Structure a short love note or love poem so that it loops back on itself (where the last word leads back to the first word). Then write it on a Mobius strip.*

First, cut a strip of paper about two inches wide and eighteen inches long.

Now, compose your special love note. (See example on right.) Then write it on both sides of the strip of paper.

Then twist one end of the paper strip 180 degrees and tape it to the other end.