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Where has the romance gone in our relationships?

Whether your relationship or the one you seek is online, long distance, at work or long term, your relationship should have one thing that is consistent for all of the above; a reciprocated respect between the two parties for the two parties. We all have to get a little better at figuring out there are two people involved in the relationship, two! So having two different opinions is OK. Having different tastes in foods, films, music, or anything for that matter is OK. Now don't get me wrong, having things in common is fun, but if everything was common, where's the excitement in doing something different? If you want it to work, you have to work hard to make it work!

Let me explain further.

Let's say you are involved in an online relationship. Now what do we all tend to do initially in any relationship, no matter how it begins? We lie! That's right, we tell little white lies that make us seem more appealing, more fun, more smart, whatever the case may be. We say, "Oh, I love that too!" When we're thinking, "Oh, I hate that." So why do we do it? To give love a chance? To bypass the petty little things we think are unimportant to get to the bigger picture? Like kids and marriage and successes in life? The answer is yes, that's why we do it. But no, no, NO you shouldn't! Argue a little, have debates, talk enthusiastically about why you loathe something while your other half loves it. Differences in people make us special. Embrace them.

The first rule of thumb for online relationships is how well you actually communicate together. I have seen many marriages develop from an online meeting and the couples always mention how they were able to just talk and talk and talk like they were in high school again. Eventually once they were comfortable enough to meet, they did. Always make sure you know the person you're meeting, and never meet if you are unsure.

As for long distance relationships, it's very important that you still update each other on what you did that day, and try to talk every day. But watch out, the phone bill can get pretty expensive. Small things, even down to what was for dinner keeps you connected to their lives. It's very easy to fall out of touch during a long distance relationship, so you must put the effort in to keep in touch.

Online, long distance, now how about something local? Like work. Most employers frown at this but who can help who you fall in love with? And are you really going to let your

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