With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I've got love on my mind.
Last year on Valentine's Day I was in Ireland. I had spent a lovely weekend in Dublin, but on Sunday February 14th I took a bus back to Cork, my home-away-from home for the semester. While walking up the steep hill that led from the city center to my apartment, I found a single red rose lying on the sidewalk. It was perfect, beautiful, and obviously meant to be among other roses in a bouquet from one Valentine to another.
It was nice to find that one rose, but what I really wanted was the full dozen.
When Valentine's Day rolls around, I sometimes find myself wistfully daydreaming about having someone send a beautiful flower arrangement to me. No, I don't need the cheesy balloons and please don't send a stupid stuffed animal, you can even hold the chocolates. Just the flowers please. Because the only way for someone to say they love you is by sending flowers on Valentine's Day. Right?
Maybe thoughts like this are what's causing more and more people to detest Cupid and his arrows. I have heard quite a few individuals complaining about Valentine's Day this year. Yes, it has become a heavily commercialized holiday (thanks, Hallmark!). Yes, the ads on television for jewelry stores makes me want to vomit they are so contrived (every kiss begins with *gag*). Yes, I regularly salivate while passing the candy aisle of the supermarket while squinting my eyes because of all the blinding bright pink and red. But...
....I don't care. This year, I am celebrating Valentine's Day, and all it's sugary-sweetness, despite my "single" status on facebook (no relationship is ever official until it's facebook-official). I just have too much love in my life not to celebrate. I love my family and I love my friends. And they should know that. These are the people who I should be celebrating all year long, not just one silly day in February. But I will use this holiday as a reminder to be aware of all the love in my life.
Love comes in many different forms and from many different sources. Things can represent love, but they can never replace love. A bouquet of flowers would be nice and a three-stone diamond pendant representing the past, the present, and the future would be swell (I've seen too many cheesy commercials), but I do not ever want to lose sight of what matters most.
Love: Unpretentious - Sincere - Generous - Honest - Unconditional - Love.
Those are adjectives that just don't fit on little candy conversation hearts.
Happy (Early) Valentine's Day - now go tell someone you love them.
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