It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow. You’re short on cash, but you know you better not turn up empty handed. So what do you do? Get creative!
Craft an epic love story. You may not have time for a novel, but you do have time for 5 sentences, so here is how to find your 5 sentence love story.
Sentence 1: The Moment You Met
When you first met your beloved, what was it that drew your attention? What made them unique from anyone else you’d ever met? What did you notice first?
Sentence 2: The Moment You Decided
In any love story, there’s this moment when you decide to cast out all your fears and make the decision to love this person above all others. Think about that moment. What was it about your beloved that led you to make that decision? What was unique or special about them that caused you to be able to say to yourself, “This is my beloved, in whom I am well pleased?”
Sentence 3: The Moment You Overcame Doubt
Every love is tested in time. Think back to a moment when you doubted your decision and wondered if you’d made a mistake in the partner you’d chosen. What did your beloved do to reassure you that you were on the right path? How did you get over this doubt?
Sentence 4: The Moment You Recommitted
Love is an epic battle that takes place over a lifetime. It’s normal to have moments when you feel as if you just can’t continue. When you think to yourself, “It’s over. There’s nothing left.” The difference between happy endings for a relationship and just plain endings is your decision to double down and recommit to making things work between you. So write that sentence.
Remind your beloved of that time when you both thought everything was over. Your hope was gone. And then something happened that caused the two of you to recommit to your relationship and choose a lifetime of love. Write the sentence about that moment, and about that decision to recommit.
Sentence 5: Why No-one Else Will Do
Your beloved is unique. Special. Irreplaceable. Take a moment to craft a sentence that shares with them your vision of them and why you can be sure that you will always choose them over any other.
Vulnerable and Sincere
The important key ingredient to any romantic love story is that it must be both vulnerable and sincere. Being vulnerable means allowing your beloved to see all of you – not just the parts you’re proud of but the parts you hate, too. Being sincere means being open and honest in your praise.
Vulnerability is tough. You have to have the courage to reveal yourself on levels you may never have done before. It can be scary to be that open to your beloved, to take the risk of rejection, but until you’re willing to stand in front of them emotionally naked, you can’t taste real love. Love requires you let yourself be known. So open up and let the love shine through your words.
Sincerity is crucial. If this whole letter is just an attempt to get into your partners pants or win a few brownie points, that’s not love and it’s no love story. Be sincere in what you write and let your partner know exactly what it is about him or her that makes them worth loving.
More Advice for Being Romantic
Romance isn’t about how much you spend or even necessarily about how much time you take. It’s about showing your partner that you see them clearly. You know them – all of them – and you still choose them. It’s about showing them in a physical but non-sexual way that you are paying attention to them, to their needs, and to the things that matter to them.
Hint: If the only reason you’re being romantic is because you want sex, that’s not romantic. That’s manipulation.
Getting Extra Brownie Points
If you want to really kick this epic love story up a notch, hire someone to write it in calligraphy on parchment paper and then frame it. Use your webcam and record a video about it, then share it on your beloved’s Facebook feed so his or her friends will know what makes them awesome. Put together a CD of music that speaks to each of those five sentences.