In your opinion, do May/December romances ever work?

I think it’s possible. A lot seems to depend on when in life two people meet, what they have in common, and how they build a relationship. I’ve known several couples with ten or more years difference between them that have a special connection so I’d say it all depends on the people involved.

What physical action or gesture do you find romantic?

It’s the little things. Brushing hair back off my face, holding hands just because, calling just to see how the day’s going – small gestures that make me feel seen and loved.

What is your idea of a romantic dinner?

I’m not gonna lie, it starts with one I haven’t cooked. After that it looks very pre- ‘rona…at a comfortable restaurant with really good food and excellent drinks where you can sit for hours and hours without someone batting an eye.

Is ‘love’ a real ‘thing’ or merely a physical chemical response and brain activity pulling our emotional strings?

Yikes, Melanie, this got all up in my science brain. It’s probably important to note my science brain is a hodgepodge of cloud formations, blood type, the periodic table (the fact that it exists, not the information itself), and frog dissection. So I’d say love is as real a condition as anything else humans believe in and leave it at that.

How do you show your loved ones that you love them?

I think the best way to do that is to know how they experience love. Some people in my life feel loved when I show I care through acts of service. Others want to hear how I feel, then there are ones who feel loved when I make time to spend with them. Showing somebody I love them can mean anything from getting up early to make them breakfast to sitting through a rom-com marathon.

Sparks from a Combustible Mind hosts Share Your World.