The Romantic Bucket List
The Romantic Bucket List
By Julie Butcher
I’m not the person who normally thinks that everyone deserves the same things in life. After all, some of you work harder and longer and maybe after you do, there will be rainbows and puppies and butterflies. But, every single person on this earth deserves to love and to be loved in return. Every. Single. One.
There isn’t a limit on color or gender or any other darn thing people argue about. Each person on this planet should experience the magic and wonder of love. If there is a single reason that we’re put on this earth it is to love one another.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New International Version (NIV) This is love.
Romance, however, is a whole different ball game
There’s a reason that a gerjillion romance novels are sold each year. We all have experienced love in one form or another—from partners or parents or our children—but romance is as fleeting as a firefly in summer. I’ve had some amazingly romantic moments. Once a boy took his father’s guitar and his mother’s emerald ring and knocked on every door on my street to find me to serenade and propose. Of course I was five so I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we all could use a little more romance. So I give you (with the help of my lovely Facebook and Twitter friends) The Romantic Bucket List.
1. Me: At least once, the Dear Husband and I would be dressed to the nines and waltz on a huge dance floor to Once Upon a Dream from Cinderella. I would have a real ball gown and flowers in my hair. Also, he could dance.
2. David R. Davis: What I would like is traveling the old Route 66 with a charming lady. I’d love to stop and see all the places left from yesteryear. And the Grand Canyon etc. Maybe it’s because I am now closer to the end than the beginning, but that would be a turn on for me. (He would also like a woman who can clean fish. I’m not sure that part is a joke,)
3. Buzzy Multimedia: Sharing a cappuccino with my beloved in an outdoor cafe at the foot of Sacré-Cœur on a clear night with a full moon.
4. Matthew Rasins: Hot air balloon ride.
5. Becky Levine: Renting a little house just outside (fill in the blank; could be Paris, could be Prague, could be Boston) for a month or so, during which time I write, he rides his bike, we go into market for dinner supplies every night or take the train into (aforementioned fill-in-the-blank city) to eat somewhere very cool and see a play.
6. Alice Pope: Flying off to Paris just to have dinner. (There must be something in the air in Paris. A lot of people want their romance there.)
7. Kaite McGrew: I’d like to be rescued from certain death by a really mean but handsome vampire who has secretly been in love with me and watching over me, and is being slowly changed by his deep love for me—and he can fly. (Well, if Kaite gets to do this then I get to marry Batman and live in the Bat cave. It’s only fair.)
8. Bill Kirk: Return trip to Paris, just the two of us. Last time my wife and I were there was in ’76, camping with two toddlers in the Bois de Boulogne.
9. Krista Cagg: A walk through the Black Forest. (Maybe it’s just me but did anyone else think Black Forrest Ham? I should probably have a snack before I write any more.)
10. Zenia Barreira: Basically if we are honest, a blanket in the living room can be romantic as long you are with someone who loves you and made the effort to do something nice. But sure, the fantasy is always like the fairytales—candles, blanket, moonlight or just before the sun comes up. (Zenia is right. Romance doesn’t have to cost a penny.)
11. Donald Horn: Napping with my girl in a hammock under palm trees on a beach. (Naps are on my top ten list of favorite things!)
12. Bradley McDowell: Tea in Japan during the cherry blossom festival. (Here is a man who knows.)
13. Jennifer Spiller: I imagine a 50th anniversary party, renewing our vows, surrounded by family and longtime friends. Wonder if we’ll each cry as much as we did the first time. Probably, YES.
14. Andrew Jack: An EPIC mystery vacation, everything arranged with work so we could both relax and enjoy, but still have a sense of adventure, too.
15. Stephanie Weippert: Champagne on a balcony with a view of the Eiffel Tower at night. Oh, and fireworks. Yeah. ( I do love things blowing up.)
16. Blaze O’Rama: The Kakslauttanan Arctic Resort for Aurora Borealis season. Or pony trekking, maybe in Ireland, Wales or Scotland!
17. Penny Lovestedt: Overnight train ride in a private room. The Empire Builder has some pretty spectacular views. (I never even thought of a train!)
We all have things we believe is the epitome of romance. So this Valentine’s Day, let’s try and make time for a romantic moment with our beloved. Fireflies in February would be nice, don’t you think?
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