Darlings, when Romance drops by, invite it in for tea. And if you haven’t seen each other for a while, don’t be afraid to break out the hard liquor.

Whether you make a mad dash for the front door or saunter casually so you don’t look too anxious, whatever you do — don’t leave Romance waiting on the front porch because it won’t wait long.

Singly strange behavior
Romance and I are old, old friends. We go way back. Yet in all the time we’ve worked together, nothing has puzzled us more than human behavior — particularly when it comes to accepting love into your life.

“I’ve known people who have wished and hoped and prayed for me to arrive,” confides a frustrated Romance. “But when I come knocking, they don’t answer. I know they’re there; I can hear them breathing on the other side of the door, but for some reason they don’t open it.”

It happens more than you might think.

“Once I made a house call to a woman in desperate need of my services,” Romance recounts. “She took one look at me and slammed the door right in my face. I was shocked at first, but then I felt sorry for her. She’s never opened the door again.”

Hide-and-go-sulk
Single men and women get themselves into ruts. That’s right, sweethearts, you know you do.

You spend months — and sometimes years — searching for an elusive love whose name you don’t know and whose face you’ve never seen, but you know he or she is out there! You get your hopes up, then you get your hopes dashed. You think you’ve found someone, then you think you’ll be alone forever. You invest yourselves so completely in searching for your ideal match that you ignore the romantic possibilities all around you.

By the time Romance arrives, you’re too depressed, too afraid or too angry to let it in. Many of you don’t even hear Romance knocking because you’re too busy looking for it elsewhere.

All the possibilities
If that sounds like your love life or lack thereof, my precious readers, there’s still hope. Romance doesn’t hold a grudge; it returns to visit again and again.

Take off your blinders, stop searching so intently and open yourselves to the possibilities. When that cute young thing across the room winks, wink back. When your next quick search reveals a profile that piques your interest, respond to it.

Face it: You’re at Match.com and reading these words for a reason; Romance is knocking at your door right now. Take a deep breath, open the door and greet your future.