sucker for love
I am a sucker for love. Eternal optimist about love prevailing. All things romantic will always have my vote. Following my heart instead of my head over and over again. Yep, I love a heart-shaped anything. If you write me a love note, I’m yours forever. Love stories make me hopeful. I root for love.
I LOVE that there is a day set aside to celebrate love. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples. You don’t need to hide from it if you are single or have been hurt by a relationship. Love is what makes the world go round. Right now as it is spinning off-kilter, we could use a little more, don’t you think?
It’s too bad love became big business and got cheapened. “Valentine’s Day” is commercialized so that cards, flowers, chocolate, dinners, and jewelry will be purchased and people’s “couple-ness” will be exploited. When really a day celebrating love is all about where it starts and ends. Love begins in the heart (spirit, soul, being, inner workings, etc.) of each of us. It is a spark. The fire that burns is the responsibility of each of us. Celebrating love begins with celebrating yourself and your ability to feel.
There are many different types and expressions of love. There is self-love, familial love, friend-love, romantic love. There is the love you can have for God (We love because He first loved us). There is sacrificial love. Love is a verb, after all. Expressing love can look like actions- words, gifts, affection, time spent, task done, etc. You can show reverence for love or be completely casual. Loving something/someone makes you know you are alive. It is what separates us from the beasts (or sociopaths; but that’s a different blog). Loving can be painful at times. It can be the highest high and the lowest low. It can be just a very fine line from its dark twin hate.
I think every work place should allow their employees to make shoebox valentine holders and we all bring little homemade cards that say things like “My love for you will never fail as long as kitty has her tail.” with a drawing of a cat with a piece of yearn hanging from it’s back as its make-shift tail. Or store-bought action figure cards that say things like “I think you are super.” with a picture of Superman on the front. Love is so simple. Why do we muck it up as adults?
Go get yourself a big piece of red construction paper and cut out that heart. Buy yourself that Reece’s peanut butter cup or the really good chocolate. Appreciate the sun in the sky, enjoy some laughter, smile, hug yourself, wave at a stranger., hold hands, make out, post sappy pictures. Praise God. Give gifts. Maybe making a spectacle of today will help you see just how important love is in every moment of every day.
Do you mean it when you say “I love this restaurant,” “I love your hair,” “I love kale?” If so, whoot whoo for openly expressing your emotions. If it isn’t that easy to find, may you look harder, try harder, and may it be what does propel your world. Happy V-D!!!! from an unapologetic lover of love.
