Excuse Me While I Climb Onto My Soapbox

We interrupt this blog, so I may say a few words about a romance related matter.  I LOVE romance stories.   However, I recognize that, at least the ones most featured on this blog, are FICTION.  That means not real! Most, if not all of you, are probably now thinking, "well, duh!" and "What's your point?".  The point is this:  If we recognize that these are beautiful but fictional stories, why do we approach are real life relationships as though they should mimic fiction?!?  Many women believe, or behave as though they believe, that the relationship should always be about the passion and/or sexual attraction.  There is no such thing as a perfect man, but you can have a wonderful beautiful relationship as long as your willing to put forth the effort.  Relationships take hard work!  There will be dark times in every relationship.  The trick is to get through it TOGETHER!  How often have we heard someone say they have fallen out of love??  That's crap!  What it means is I no longer want to put the effort into making this relationship work!  It takes two and it takes a dose of reality mixed with even bigger helpings of hope and prayer.   Trust and Communication are the biggest factors in determining how well a relationship will hold up under pressure.  We need to stop expecting some man to magically know what we are thinking and to have all the answers and start being real with ourselves and acknowledging that we all have a responsibility and role that we play in our relationships.  To all the young ladies out there this is not intended to make you despair but rather to encourage you.  There is a prince charming out there for everyone but he won't come without flaws and it'll take hard work but if you are both willing to put forth the effort you can have the kind of relationship that romance writers write about.