Romance on the Mind

This entry was actually written on February 8th while sitting on a Philadelphia-bound flight. Below, you’ll see why I waited until February 14th to post it online.

I will readily admit that I have much to learn about women and what makes them tick. As any man (and woman) can tell you, discovering what the love of your life considers romantic is a lifelong process. I’m still exploring and discovering but hoping to make inroads in what I consider to be an exciting adventure.

Though I have no evidence to back it up, I believe that gestures that demonstrate that your loved one is on your mind while on a business trip are very romantic. You don’t have to get fancy – just creative. Something as simple as a postcard with a love note mailed from the airport will do (keep stamps in your “travel stash”). Of course, you can pick something up that speaks of the place you just visited. Why not pick up a little memento like a special bottle of wine in San Francisco or a salsa CD in Miami? Sure, you can find those items back at home but do they express the same emotion?

A couple of other ideas…

• Take a look around while passing through the airport. You might run across some new shops or even some that might fill a last minute gift need. Case in point: Having nearly finished shopping for my wife for Valentine’s Day, there was one more gift I wanted to get her – a specific ring from Swatch’s Bijoux line called “Love Explosion”. I tried to order a red one online but could only find it in a size 5. Having previously seen a Swatch store in Terminal E at Intercontinental Airport, I checked in early for my flight and then walked from Terminal C to the store. Within 3 minutes of entering, I left with a size 7 “Love Explosion” ring in my carry-on.

• Make your loved one a romantic playlist that they can listen to on their mp3 player while you’re out of town. Napster, iTunes and other downloading services all allow you to put together the mix that expresses your own thoughts and feelings. The list that makes me think of my wife includes songs like With These Hands by Les McCann, You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To by Helen Merrill and Clifford Brown and I’ve Got a Crush on You by Bill Gordon and Oscar Peterson.

Why not share some of your own ideas on this Valentine’s Day?