One of my favorite authors is the late Patrick O’Brian. In an insightful description of one of his characters, he says that the person in question had made it to middle-age somehow without life "sanding the cheeriness" off of him. I loved that depiction. As with all art, it’s beauty comes from its alignment with reality.
You will find ample opportunity in your life to lose your cheeriness. Life is hard. There will be bad breaks and unfairness. Things will happen. Nobody promises smooth byways and easy streets, and if they do, run. But life is also wonderful. It is bright and interesting and full of the wonder of God’s reflected glory. There is knowledge to gain, vast territories to explore, and ourselves to understand. There are extraordinary people of strength and heroic spirit. And there is the precious gift of time.
Romance, to me, is living life in full appreciation and awareness of the wonder of God’s world. Romance means becoming, as Mark Twain said, "a prodigious noticer." Romance is finding pleasure in the small things; like the rippling sound of water against dock pilings, warm sun on skin, and the whisper of a toddler in your ear. Romance is notcing the sublime in big things; the danger and beauty of an ocean, the power and thrill of an airplane, the magesty and intimidation of a mountain. Romance is finding the good in others; their thoughtful gestures, their warm expressions of care, their smiles, their humor, and their friendship. Romance is shared experiences, memories, and inside jokes. Romance is designing your own home, taking care in your photography, expressing yourself through music or writing, and finishing a piece of wood. Romance can be the deposits of good into someone’s life, giving a well-deserved but rare compliment, and buying a thoughtful gift. Romance is the greatful expression of our ability, talent, warmth, and effort, just because. Romance is the steadiness of dependability, and the perseverance of the long-haul. Romance is family tradition and proud heritage. Romance is a choice.
Dissected or reduced to its component parts, romance disappears like a shy muse. Courted and summoned, romance sparkles and lights softly upon its caller. Clear thinking, pure motives, honest communications, and the service of others fuels the power of romance and appreciation in our lives. Selfishness, pressure, short-term thinking, and materialism wilt its wings and ruin its ability to please.
What I am talking about is the passionate expression of ourselves into our whole lives through the things we do, the people we touch, and the principles and the God for which we live. God has given us one life to live. It is given to each man once to die, and then the judgment. The world doesn’t need any more dour Christians, but it doesn’t need silly ignorance of our true condition, either. The world needs true joy that expresses itself in a spark in our eyes, suggesting that we have discovered the truth about life, ourselves, our Creator, and our purpose. It is then that they may call us romantics. May we take it as a compliment!
What personifies this concept in your life? What small things, or large, bring it into focus for you? At what moments do you feel the most "alive" and in touch with the cheeriness of your life? What gifts do you see around you in your life that remind you of your divine spark?
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