This Isn’t About Romance

Author

Ed Clementi
March 31, 2025

A Moment You Didn’t See Coming

It starts small.
A coffee—delivered to the wrong table.
Or maybe… the right one.
A glance. A glitch in the rhythm of an ordinary morning.

Two solo tables. Two people not looking for anything—until life stirs the air between them. Not in a big, cinematic way. Just enough to make you notice.

And then comes the choice:
Say nothing and move on.
Or… lean in.

Not for the outcome.
But for the feeling.

The Spark That Surprises You

You say yes.
To a moment.
To a question.
To staying one more day.

And then something flickers—unexpected, but oddly familiar.

A feeling you haven’t felt in a long time.
Not longing. Not need.

Just… possibility.

The kind that wakes something up in you.
The kind that reminds you you’re not done being surprised.

When You Forget to Believe

Over time—even the strongest among us—can start to prioritize safety over surprise.

We call it wisdom. Strategy. Self-protection.
We become excellent at managing expectations and minimizing disappointment.

In love.
In career.
In how we show up in the world.

And sometimes, it even looks like peace.

You get good at being on your own.
Dinners for one. Flights for one. A rhythm that works.
Not in a sad way. In a self-sufficient, grounded kind of way.
You stop chasing. You start choosing.

But slowly, something else fades, too.

The wonder.
The belief in magic.
The part of you that says, “Maybe something unexpected could change everything.”

We convince ourselves those moments belong to a younger, more reckless version of us.

Until something reminds you…
They’re still out there.

And so are you.

The Risk of Staying Safe

It’s funny how we spend so much of our lives chasing security…
Only to realize that safety can sometimes be a barrier, not a shield.

But what if the real risk isn't in putting yourself out there.
It's in staying closed when something real tries to find you.

And the moment you sense it—the pull, the charge, the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this matters—
that’s when the whisper of courage comes in.

The kind of courage that lives at the intersection of vulnerability and instinct.

“You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.”
— Brené Brown

The Leap You Don’t Regret

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do…
Is apply for a role that feels just out of reach.
Pitch the idea no one asked for, but that you know could make a difference.
Start the business, the book, the podcast—even if no one claps at first.

Or —

Extend your trip without knowing if they’ll say yes.
Send the text without knowing how it’ll land.
Say “I’d like to see you again” without knowing if it’s mutual.

It’s walking into a room where you’re not sure you belong…
and daring to believe you do.

Not because you need something.
But because you’ve remembered what it feels like to want something again.
To risk being seen in the pursuit of something meaningful.

And that’s the kind of leap you never regret.
Even if it doesn’t go perfectly.
Because it puts you back in motion.

This Isn’t About Romance

Not really.

It’s about aliveness.
About letting possibility back in.

About listening to instinct and opening the door when life knocks—softly, unexpectedly.

It’s about courage.
The quiet kind.
The kind that whispers:
“Why not now?”

And Maybe…

Maybe it’s not about what it turns into.
Maybe it’s about what it awakens.

A spark. A reminder.
That you can still feel deeply.
That you can still be moved.
That your story isn’t done being written.

If you’re reading this and waiting for a sign, here it is:

Say the thing.
Do the thing.
Send the message.
Stay one more day.

Not because you're chasing something.

But because you're finally awake enough to notice when something real walks in.

No, this isn’t about romance.
At least not the kind we’re used to.
It’s about the romance of showing up, choosing courage, and letting yourself feel again.
…But maybe, for someone reading this, it could be both.

With Absolute Sincerity,

Ed Clementi, Founder & CEO of Inspired Fire, LLC

Make an Impact.  Feel an Impact.