Read an Excerpt

Introduction:

No one in the history of the world has ever attempted to gather a list of 10,000 ways to express love. I've learned that 10,000 is a really, really big number. At one idea per day, this book will last you 27.4 years!

The questions I get asked most often about my books are
"How?" "How long?" and "Why?"
"How? How do you gather 10,000 ways to say ‘I love you'? I can't even think of ten!" The most important factor is what I call having a "romantic mind-set." It's a way of looking at the world and filtering information?and that filter is love. Another important factor is my sophisticated filing system for keeping track of the scraps of paper and napkins that I use to capture ideas as they leap from my brain?plus a high-powered laptop.

"How long? How long does it take you to write your books?"
This book took only three months to write. But it's taken forty-three years to research.

"Why? Why would you write 10,000 Ways to Say I Love You? Do we really need 10,000 ways? Aren't you getting a wee bit obsessed?" Of course I'm obsessed. Teachers and artists are always obsessed by their topics. And yes, we really do need 10,000 ways. Every idea doesn't "fit" for every person. And as to "why": Because people (thousands of people) continually ask me for ideas, suggestions, and tips. This book is the ultimate practical resource for couples. It contains the basics of romance, the essence of expressing love, creative twists on classic ideas, concepts you probably never thought of, and resources gathered from one thousand sources.

Since the first edition came out, we've been given the iPod, Facebook, Twitter, and countless other tools we can use to express affection. Why not take advantage of all of them? This 10th anniversary edition celebrates all the romance that readers have brought into their lives in the last decade using the ideas here, and gives those fans new ideas and new ways to say, "I love you."

More answers to the question "Why 10,000?" Because it's a big number. Because people are fascinated by numbers. And, by combining the concept of love with the concept of numbers, you start to get a feeling for how big love is, how big love can be. Actually, love is infinite. And as far as I'm concerned, 10,000 ways to say "I love you" is just the beginning.

~Gregory J.P. Godek

Excerpt from 10, 000 Ways to Say I Love You:

27. Send your lover a funny eCard
28. For harried parents: Hire a babysitter on retainer
29. Hide a pair of earrings in a box of chocolates
30. Celebrate the anniversary of when you first met
31. Try to go one week without saying anything negative
32. Shower together by candlelight
33. Warm her bath towel in the dryer for her
34. Upside down stamps mean "I love you"
35. Kiss her hand?the proper way (lower your lips to her hand)
36. Trust your intuition
37. Never, never, never wallpaper together
38. Carry a wedding photo in your wallet
39. Program her computer background to flash a love message from you
40. Use the little strips of paper from Hershey's Kisses as coupons redeemable for one kiss each
41. Get a sleeping bag built-for-two
42. View romance as "Adult Play"
43. For newlyweds only: Talk about your hopes and dreams for your future together
44. Write them down and store the document in a safe deposit box
45. Open it on your twenty-fifth anniversary
46. "On this earth, though far and near, without love, there's only fear." ~ Pearl S. Buck
47. Share a Whitman's Sample