“Happy Valentine’s Day…or are you celebrating anti-valentine’s?” A friend asked me via text after I had sent her a quote about love.
“No. I celebrate love. I’ve come full circle. I used to hate it, but honestly, today is just another day for me.” I responded.
Valentine’s Day is a bitter day for singles. On this day of the year, their loneliness is amplified as they spend hours pitying their sorrow. My friend has been happily married for almost three years. In all the time that I have known her, I have never gone a date. I suppose that I have reason to be bitter against this holiday where romantic love is celebrated.
In my high school days, I hated Valentine’s Day. I dreamed of receiving red roses and having a boy shower me in attentions – that’s what I wanted. My friends talked about how their boyfriends were going to do all these things for them. I listened. I had nothing to say. I did not have a boyfriend or even a prospective boyfriend.
Since those days of toxic bitterness, my heart has changed. No longer do I tirade against the holiday of cupids and hearts. I celebrate love. Valentine’s Day might be a great time for stores to advertise silky red lingerie and chocolates; but for me, the day is about showing love to those that I love or who need to be shown love. Valentine’s Day commemorates the importance of love in our lives.
Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. ~Kahlil Gibran
