This year, we were pretty lazy for Valentine’s Day. I bought us a ready-to-go pizza and a cheesecake, and John took me out for dinner two days after the fact.
To tell you the truth, I think the “Day of Love” is a bit lame. Here’s my thoughts: regardless of whether or not you’re in a relationship, you should strive to show compassion for your loved ones every chance you can. Even if it’s just a small, simple act of care.
My views on Valentine’s Day have a lot to do with how I feel about love as a whole.
To me, love is a choice. It’s a commitment you make to someone. It’s the actions you consciously take, each and every day, to show you care. What love is not? Well, I don’t think it’s an unexplainable feeling. And I don’t believe love is passion.
When it comes to two people falling in love, there definitely needs to be chemistry (passion) there, but the love, the commitment is what keeps things going. Take out the chemistry part, and this same idea applies to love for friends and family—once again, it’s a very conscious and committed decision.
As someone who’s been hurt in the past (due to my unrealistic views and expectations about love), I encourage others to think about the term love in a different, more honest way.
I don’t believe in whirlwind romance, unrelenting passion, over-commercialized holidays or grand, insincere gestures, but I do believe in love, or at the very least, my definition of it.
On that note, I’ll end with a little tribute:
Love is…
Your parents calling you via Skype while they are enjoying a vacation in paradise.
Your fiance driving in treacherous conditions just to get you a pack of Sour Patch Kids.
Your siblings inviting you over for dinner when it seems you have nowhere else to go.
Your friends listening to you when you have absolutely nothing intelligent or interesting to say.
~ Thank you for your love~