Courtesy of Soulpancake.com by @doublemew

What if getting an S.O. was like interviewing for a job, and your qualities were to be boiled down to what you think your potential lover would want to know -


What I bring to the relationship

- I’ll make you laugh, a lot.
- I am strong enough to lift heavy things and hold them in place for a while
- I’m independent enough to leave you alone when you want “you time.”
- I like to try new things, or I can do the same old, same old
- I like beer, but only as a friend, not a lover.
- I can be serious when you need me to be, but I am not big on talking politics, etc. for extended periods of time.
- I like to cook and clean in the kitchen.
- I can drive stick shift
- The only sport I really like is soccer, but I don’t follow it regularly.


Not sure, but that may be it, at least of the big stuff.

What about you? What can you offer me that the others can not?

Courtesy of Soulpancake.com an Article by Lindsay McComb

But passion is pretty much the only part of love and romance that London-born photographerChris Craymer focuses on in his recently published book, Romance: A Beautiful Look Book On Love. Romance features pictures of strikingly beautiful, real-life couples engaged in the physical act of love. Craymer says that Romance is “essentially emotional.” I’m not sold. While some of the photos have passionate, bright, even smoldering compositions, the real problem is that Romance seems to focus on sex, not love.

“Romance, for me, was the perfect vehicle to make pictures which can covey a number of emotions,” Craymer said. “I wanted to try to make pictures which could be, for example, sexy, funny, joyful and also powerful and even soulful.”

He told Vogue.com that romance is about new love. “It’s the kind of love before you have any other commitments or baggage like a mortgage, children, past relationships, divorces, maybe even careers,” he said. “It’s the kind of relationships you might have in your first year of college, but it’s very intense, nevertheless.”

While passion and a little bowchickabowwow are a big part of romance, it’s not enough for real, lasting love, in my opinion. I think there was a lot more that could have been incorporated into defining romance. And I’m not talking about clichés such as flowers and dinner out on the town.

Bottom line: I’m not sure sure Craymer’s take on love tells the whole story.

How would you define romance?

:: romance pondered by Lindsay McComb