My Life is not a Romance Novel

I stayed up until almost 2:30am last night reading Anita Stansfield's "Gables Against the Sky." I love that book. It is probably one of my all-time favorites. The adventure and love stories are so exciting. It's funny how a kidnapping can be romantic in a romance novel. You almost think to yourself "Why doesn't someone do that to me?" Well, if you really think about it, do you really want to be kidnapped? I don't think so.

Sometimes when I read a romance novel, I wonder "Why isn't my life like a romance novel?" The notion seems exciting (and makes my life seem a bit dull sometimes) but if I dissect a good romance, I have to recognize the enormous amount of conflict. The are two types of conflict, internal and external. The internal conflict is the conflict(s) going on inside - emotional, mental, etc. The external conflict(s) are those that are not inside a character - death, illness, relationship problems, etc. Sometimes a conflict can be both internal and external. Regardless, my favorite books, the ones I just can't put down (and read until 2:30am knowing that I will be up in less than five hours) are the ones chalk full of conflict.

Do I really want my life to be full of conflict? No. That's not even a question. Just the thought of my life being so dramatic sends my blood pressure rising. Who wants to deal with conflict at every turn? Not me.

So how do I accept that my life is not a romance novel? How can I make it exciting without all of the conflict? Hmmm...