I don't know about you but I enjoy long walks on the beach. I enjoy getting lost in someone's eyes. I don't think there's anything more romantic than stargazing or slow dancing to an oldie in the living room. I'm a sucker for bouquets of roses and guitar-strung melodies. Hell, I'd be happy with just being taken to see a movie. Yet, I've found that these simple engagements are few and far between. Today, romance is defined by one-night stands and "friends with benefits." Being a hopeless romantic in today's hookup culture is a certain type of hell, one where love is a fallacy and romance is purely physical.

A hopeless romantic thrives in the excitement and mystery of love, but today's love skips that mystery. While my goal is not to condemn those who practice within hookup culture methods, I do hope to shed light into what it is to be romantically neglected as a hopeless romantic. Being a hopeless romantic today is just that: hopeless. I want poems and love letters, not Tinder message and "hey what you doin' girl?" texts. I want to talk about hopes and dreams while out on a warm evening stroll, not getting wasted at a club every Friday night. I want to be "the one." I want to be loved unconditionally, not worry about "side chicks" or worse, worry about being the "side chick."

I cannot deny that hookup culture methods existed in earlier years, but today it has become less of a secret. In fact, it has become an expectation. Modern day romance includes one-night stand, infidelity, and cheap dates that end in the bed. Every date ends in sex. Every one-night stand must be forgotten. Being in love is lame. Like one has to be a dog or a cat person, people are "boobs" or "butt people." You can't be a heart person. Those who still have faith in the existence of true love are condemned, are told they will die a sad and lonely person. One is not allowed to fall in love, you're only allowed to make love.

People's greatest fear is commitment, but it seems as if no one is willing to try to overcome it. People have just accepted it and love has become a drive-by sport. Being a hopeless romantic today is a very lonely road to travel. I struggle to find anyone like me, anyone willing to share their fear, their hopes, their secrets. I take myself on walks through the park and revel in what would be if there was someone like me. It breaks my heart to be surrounded by so much hatred towards what I hold highly, to what I believe is true romance.

It's like living in a Nicholas Sparks novel where the significant other doesn't exist and the notebook was never written. I know, however, that I'd rather be alone forever than lock up my heart to partake in the hookup lifestyle. I'll always be an advocate of true love even when so many others refuse to believe it exists. So, if you're a hopeless romantic like me let's meet up sometime and take a long walk on the beach and talk about our hopes and dreams.