Embracing Romance and Sunwashed Dreams

Happy Summer!

Can you feel the hint of the soft breeze coming off the waters of Portofino, Italy, in the painting above….?

Portofino is the definition of romance, nestled on the edge of the deepest blue waters you have ever seen.

Although several years have passed since my first visit, I still recall the drive there, my nose pressed to the window as to not miss a thing. Aged villas playing hide ‘n’ seek amongst verdant hillsides. Cliffs that dropped straight into the blue-green depths of the Mediterranean.
It was surreal AND magical.
To this day, it thrills me when I think of it.

And makes me pause to think about the role that romance plays in our lives.
I used to think it only served to describe the act of two people falling in love.
But oh my, as beautiful as that is, I’ve come to realize it is SO much more.

It’s a way of living. Falling in love with every nuance of life.
Surrounding ourselves with the romance of a few gathered flowers to accompany us at our dinner table.
Wearing a scarf gifted by a dear friend because it has the romance of them, their joy for life, in its threads.

It’s falling in love

with life

with beauty

with what is seen by the heart.

Romance exists in tiny corners and epic vistas. Romance is everywhere ❤️

I don’t know about you, but I crave it. When I look back over my choices, I now realize I’ve been choosing this for a very long time. Years of practice have resulted in seeing the moments everywhere. The thrill is always there, never jaded, always brimming with ‘I can’t get enough of this’ emotion.

The latest romance in my life? A trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan.

The island reeks of romance.

• No motorized vehicles on the island (UPS delivers by wagon, no joke!)
  
  
• The Grand Hotel? A throwback to yesteryear. Liveried delivery from the docks to the door, with drivers dressed in formal attire.
  
• 80% of the island is a state park, so the carriage ride took us through wooded areas filled with wildflowers.
  
• And the lilacs…as big as trees! Blooming all romantic like.
  

It’s so good to know…

We are never to old for romance.

Never not beautiful enough for it.

Never not special enough.

Romance is for all. Young, old, skinny or otherwise, wise or naive. It adds so much JOY… when we allow our hearts to take flight over the way sunlight plays on a sailboat or shutter.
Or open our eyes to how a tender rose has attached itself to a timeworn wall.
Silly cats lazying in the sun or weathered hands wrapped around a glass of vino.

Romance is free for the taking (or rather allowing?)

It’s known to, if not actually stop time, slow it down considerably.

It leads to other good things, things that open the doors to more romance.

Look at your surroundings and take in the romance. A favored book, worn from the reader’s touch? A special chair that speaks of someone you love? The sounds of nature, birds, rain, breeze creating a beautiful moment?

Let me know what romance you discover—you know I love reading your comments!!

Sunwashed Dreams
9 x 12 oil

P.S. Romantic at heart, forever and ever amen. It’s the reason the courses I create are so filled with paintings and romance. What is life without it?? If you’ve a mind to visit Provence, Tuscany or Paris—minus the airline travel— check them out here.

P.P.S. Or if you’d like to create the painting shown above, join me in Flow here!