Once upon a time an author had said/written everything he had set out to say. It had taken 12 books, 15 years, and 7,823 miles on the road. Along the way he listed 1001 ways to be romantic (the first book to take that generic phrase literally), and then, even to his surprise, he listed 10,000 ways to say I Love You. “That’s it!” he said, and he retired.
Seven years later he tired of playing on the beach with his son, playing everywhere with his new wife, and playing at writing fiction. He looked around and made some amazing discoveries: The internet had grown up, people in general had not, his beloved world of publishing was in the process of imploding, the world of “romantic advice” online had fallen into generic/cutesiness, and–most surprisingly of all [to him, anyway]–was that he had a lot more to say about life and love and romance.
And so he started over again.
Once upon a time . . .
1 of every 30 couples in Americ owns a copy.
The man, they myth, the reluctant guru.
I was walking along the beach, near my home in La Jolla, the other day–and I became truly inspired to be romantic! I rushed home and made mad, passionate love to my wife. She smiled and said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, honey–but I like it!” SUGGESTION: Your partner doesn’t need to know the source of your every romantic inspiration!
I think this illustration speaks for itself!
Give And Take
After a 7-year hiatus, he's baaack!
Most people are dragging their butts because it’s Monday. Studies show that while people publicly complain about going back to work on Monday, privately they admit that they like the change of pace. I mean, c’mon . . . How many baseball games can one person watch in a row? . . . How many malls can you trudge through before your calves cramp-up? SUGGESTION: Use Mondays to reinvigorate yourself. You’re in an environment that is different from home. You’ll probably overhear some colleagues talking about what they did over the weekend. You might want to take notes!
Today is Sunday. Classically a day of rest. How can we let this inspire us to come up with romantic ideas? Well, first of all, shut your computer off, and hide your phone in a drawer. [Quit yer whining!] What does “resting” conjure up for you? It might mean a walk together. It might mean going out to a movie. It might mean taking an afternoon nap. (Or . . . You could take a naaap. That’s the code that Karyn and I use for “afternoon delight.”) You might cook a special meal together. (Or not, if that is a source of friction for the two of you.) You might go fishing together. Or sit on the shore and read a book.
