Contributed by Donna Marie

For most of my adult life I thought romance was a two-some deal. So, as long as I didn’t have a valentine (read partner, companion, spouse, etc.) special events or activities lived like days devoid of romance. One such experience that brought it home like no other was this … there I was on the Bateaux Mouche having a lovely dinner cruise along the Seine with a friend, approaching Notre Dame spectacularly awash with brilliant light, the weather was perfect, etc. when I said, my eyes brimming with tears, “if only I was sharing this with a special guy.” We both agreed and went back to our own thoughts. Gratefully the beauty of being in Paris transformed these feelings allowing me to fully enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Fast forward to now. It dawned on me early this year, “What if romance is an experience I can bring to any moment?” I decided to test-drive this insight and created a romantic birthday getaway to the beach where I had dinner with friends, and, on my own, had champagne for dessert and awakened to ocean waves and a most spectacular sunrise. It was one of my most romantic birthdays ever!