THE PURPOSE OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Romance is a prelude to love, a way to nurture a love relationship that’s new, and to keep excitement in a medium- to long-term partnership. Romance is the dance that prepares a couple for the expression of passion, for the music of love-making.

It sets the stage to embrace romance as a lifestyle and not just a small stage in the course of a relationship of love between partners, in that respect, it serves a much larger purpose.

Romantic love relationships enrich a couple’s lives so that they can grow together and individually. Intimate relationships cause us to develop emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and make us face the best and worst aspects of ourselves.

This process of growth leads to emotional maturity grounded in respect and open communication. That’s the ideal.

If each person dedicates his or her self to facing their own issues (often based in childhood experiences), and using their love relationships to becoming more loving, understanding and patient, generous and kind, the ideal can become real. Look carefully at the issues that are brought up between you, how you relate to these situations, your responses and concerns. You’ll find that each one of these instances can be an opportunity. Each instance that you may regard as problematic, or aggravating can open a window to change your perception and gain a deeper understanding of why that instance is a trigger.

Keeping this perspective at the forefront of your interactions will allow them to become a resource, a process of gaining insight and clarity. Your relationship will serve you on a much larger scale of human interaction and will bring introspection, leading to transformation.

It gives your partner a more significant role beyond just being a companion, someone you are compatible with and have chosen to love. They serve as a reflection of all we are and evidence of who we can become.

Our romantic relationship gives us so much more than we sometimes realize. Everyday with our partners we are growing and developing into the ultimate version of the best human person we can be:

A Better Communicator
The way in which we engage one another to express our thoughts and feelings is one of the most fundamental functions of human interaction. Our intimate relationship provides a basis for refining the quality of our communication. On every level, we need to be aware of the tone, the message and the motivation of what we say.

Become More Loving
We are all born with a great capacity for love. Through life’s trials and tribulations, that capacity is at times diminished, tarnished or altogether eliminated. Your romantic, and ultimately loving relationship can not only salvage your very desire to be a loving individual, but can heighten the wonder of your love experience.

Embrace Our True Selves
As we enfold ourselves into the daily interactions and routines of being with our significant other, we are tested frequently in how we respond to certain situations. These responses illuminate our true feelings and thoughts, bringing into focus our true selves. There is no hiding from these discoveries and they become items that we either embrace as good traits or realize that those are the areas that need attention in order to correct them. The “behind every great man/woman” edict has validity in so many ways. Acknowledging that your partner might see something in you that you have yet to recognize is an extraordinary revelation.

Recognize Our Potential
There is nothing powerful than navigating the pathways of life with someone who believes deeply in who you are and what you are capable of accomplishing. Sometimes, they see our potential, our dormant talents before we do. In many instances, it’s just the presence of their unwavering support that carries us forward, keeping us full of determination and confidence.

Experience Intimacy
In “The Path to Love”, Deepak Chopra states that, “…to love another person involves opening up your whole being.” It is this place of openness that affords us the ability to learn and experience the true nature of intimacy. An intimacy that enfolds the sensual, the erotic, but also extends to a deep spiritual place. Chopra also states that, “Romance and spirit are both states of inner truth.” A deep intimacy allows us to surrender to our partner, discovering and sharing those truths.

It’s when we don’t view our relationship in these terms that each and every item of disagreement becomes fodder for a breakup. When every different perspective is reason to believe that there is something gravely wrong and that the relationship is not serving you as it should. In all of these instances, it takes recognition that those sometimes uncomfortable areas are a stepping stone to a more fulfilling and loving place. When we are conscious that all the romantic things you will do and say to your partner, through every stage of your relationship, is contributing to their defining moments as a giving, loving person, you will handle them with the utmost love, care and devotion.