I\u2019m not sure, I have forgotten exactly, but I think I used to be a hopeless romantic. But the world beat me down, drained<\/strong> those lofty and lovely thoughts, and filled me with bitterness instead<\/strong>. But something’s happening, changing…<\/p>\n It\u2019s not easy being a hopeless romantic in today\u2019s world<\/strong>. In fact, it\u2019s a rather unpopular way of life. So many people are chasing notoriety and money, too blind to realize that romance is still important<\/strong>. Those little chivalries like opening the door for others and being polite are underrated<\/strong> in our modern society. Some even consider romance to be a weakness. This is insane!<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t always felt so hopeless. At one time, I dreamed of a love that would sweep me off my feet and treat me like a lady. For the most part, I have encountered quick hook-ups<\/strong> and \u201cjust settling<\/strong>\u201d situations. It\u2019s like love took a backseat to convenience, and then we all moved along to greater, more important tasks, like updating social media<\/a> and watching sports.<\/p>\n I found something precious<\/strong>, I won\u2019t tell you everything because I just wrote an article about sharing too much information<\/a>.<\/strong> I will say, however, that the hopeless romantic is still alive and well. He was just hiding behind his game controller and comic books<\/a>, just a geeky boy<\/strong>. I think he had given up as well.<\/p>\n I sat down beside him and picked up a comic book. I liked being in the presence of true romance, and I could feel my own romantic roots<\/strong> swelling up inside. I asked him why he was alone and he said that no one wanted to be treated well anymore. No one wanted someone who still believed in old fashioned romance. It was true, everyone was looking for someone to fix or someone to fix them<\/strong>. And there are many other reasons why hopeless romantics struggle with life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Emotions, to a hopeless romantic, are exaggerated. At least, this is how society sees them. To everyone else, the way a hopeless romantic expresses their emotions is abnormal<\/strong>, and this deters so many people from getting to know them, hence the difficulty finding a mate. Instead of appreciating the raw love, sadness, and anger, most people shy away from such realness<\/strong>. I think, in ways, it\u2019s intimidating.<\/p>\n I bought a Ninja Turtle Pez dispenser. I gave it to this newfound hopeless romantic and he dropped everything to marvel at the toy. He fell in love<\/strong> with a piece of plastic which dispensed little candies and smiled from ear to ear. I knew I had given him something he adored.<\/p>\n Hopeless romantics recognize the beauty in simple things<\/strong>, things that do not cost thousands of dollars and that sparkle in the sunlight. A true romantic also loves to give gifts in this same manner. The problem with this is that society expects the high-priced gifts and will feel insulted at times by the choices the hopeless romantic makes when presenting sentimental<\/strong> gifts instead of \u201cbling\u201d.<\/p>\n I have never, in my entire life, met anyone quite like my geeky boy with the comics. When he speaks, it\u2019s like a clich\u00e9 love note and when we walk, he holds my hand. Ahem, sorry, I got distracted again.<\/p>\n A hopeless romantic will love so hard that you will forget all others<\/strong> before them. They will text you as much as you text them, they will open those doors for you and they will say \u201cI love you<\/strong>\u201d a hundred times a day. Yes, it can get overwhelming, if you aren\u2019t used to it, but over time, you will appreciate these things.<\/p>\n The problem with loving so hard is that most of the time, you don\u2019t receive what you give<\/strong>. It is a rare thing for such strong love to be matched<\/strong> in turn. You will think about love all day and formulate ideas to show these feelings in creative ways<\/strong>. If love is not returned, the devastation will be just as strong as your unrequited love. \u2639 Also, trying to match that love can be daunting<\/strong> for those who don\u2019t quite measure up.<\/p>\n In between relationships, you suffer long periods of loneliness<\/a><\/strong>. This is usually due to the damage done from the last relationship. Since your feelings are heightened<\/strong>, the hurt is much worse. You need some time to recuperate, in order to keep seeking love, and you will keep seeking. It is just in your nature. Since you are a hopeless romantic, and you love hard, it will be more difficult to get back into the dating arena.<\/p>\n Like I said, I had given up on people being like I used to be, that is, until I met him. When I tried to compare him with others, it never worked out. He was like something from another world,<\/strong> a rare antique or some beautiful thing that had been discontinued. You know how you find some product you love and then suddenly, they don\u2019t\u2019 make it anymore? Yeah, kind of like that.<\/p>\n In this case, they don\u2019t need to make another one, this one is fine<\/strong>. But to hopeless romantics, it\u2019s common to feel alien in our world today<\/a>. No one acts like this anymore \u2013 speaks in this way, does such considerate things for others and loves with such trust<\/strong>. Unfortunately, our modern world, full of materialistic ideals may be phasing out the hopeless romantic. Let’s hope not.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, too many other people see the hopeless romantic as being weak<\/strong><\/a>. They see the kindness, humility, and silence as the lack of strength<\/strong>. Today\u2019s society, I hate to admit, is so full of arrogant and negative characteristics: \u201cboys don\u2019t cry\u201d<\/strong>, \u201clove doesn\u2019t last\u201d<\/strong> and one of the worst, \u201cstop being such a girl\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We, as a human race, are way too focused on how others see us<\/strong>. Instead of truly caring for someone in the right way, we rather appear tough and resilient. A hopeless romantic will love despite the hurt<\/strong> that could be waiting on the other side. They are the strong ones and they never give up, which brings me to the next struggle.<\/p>\n No matter how much they should, they won\u2019t let go<\/strong>. They are usually the ones who hold on until the bitter end of a relationship. This is primarily because they see everything as having the ability to get better. To them, the idea of ending love is atrocious. They assume there can be more compromise,<\/strong>\u00a0communication<\/strong> and definitely more intimacy<\/strong> to heal the wounds.<\/p>\n Hopeless romantics even go to the extreme of sacrificing just about anything to make their mate happy. Maybe they are onto something here. Maybe, as deeply flawed creatures, we want to give up too often<\/strong>. Maybe we are lazy<\/a> and that’s why we don’t want to make things works. \u00a0This is a struggle for the hopeless romantic because their intentions are to love<\/strong> and to love forever.<\/p>\n Honesty has little place in this world anymore. Lies<\/strong> have become something normal that we use every day to get what we want<\/strong>. The hopeless romantic is honest, open and vulnerable, and this is a weakness. I sometimes have to tell the boy with the hopeless tendencies to stop revealing so much to other people. I have to remind him that most of these people don\u2019t really care<\/strong>, they just feed off gossip.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s in his nature to be vulnerable, to share things that make him happy\/sad\/angry. I think it just comes with having such deep feelings<\/a> and emotions<\/strong>. Because I love him, I try to protect him from the side-effect of his honesty, but his pain still grieves me.<\/p>\nI didn\u2019t just arrive at this place. I had the romance squeezed out of me…<\/h3>\n
Here’s where the hope came<\/h3>\n
Here’s the thing. I think it\u2019s always going to be a struggle<\/strong> being a hopeless romantic in today\u2019s world.<\/h3>\n
They feel things in amplified versions<\/h4>\n
They adore the simple things<\/h4>\n
They love hard<\/h4>\n
You suffer through loneliness\u2026often<\/h4>\n
You feel alien to this world<\/h4>\n
You are seen as weak<\/h4>\n
Hopeless romantics, they never give up<\/h4>\n
They are honest<\/h4>\n
I catch glimpses of the past, of my own hopeless romantic tendencies, and this gives me hope.<\/h4>\n