Valentine’s Day often glides by me and I, preoccupied with much homework and friend drama, don’t even notice it. But once in a rare while, I find that the whole world stands still as I thrill to the romance that tinges February 14th. On those happy days, all the Romeos and Juliets, the Daisys and Gatsbys, the Beatrices and Benedicts seem real. Their love seemed to be something to celebrate, a thing to admire and aspire to. Taking a whole day to live in the haze of those noble stories didn’t feel like an excessive reaction. It feels like the least I could do to commemorate that something as wonderful as romantic love exists in the world. Just because I haven’t experienced it and I’m one of the few twenty year olds who hasn’t even been on a first date, doesn’t mean that I can’t celebrate love.
Long before my first school-girl crush, I fell madly in love with the idea of love. As those crushes came and went, I stayed in love with love. If I do find myself in a serious relationship, I think that first love will sustain my relationship and make it better. That’s why I don’t consider it problematic for taking a whole day to revel in the idea of a romantic love affair. For anyone interested, here’s my Valentine’s Day checklist for this year:
1). Write a love story. I’m a writer by trade and by passion, and rarely do flesh and blood friends mean as much to me as a select few of my characters. That is why I want to spend a day devoted to love concocting their romances. Nobody else is going to tell their story.
2). I want to search for a playlist of classical music love songs and duets. Nothing has ever touched me more than classical music. Famous lovers in operas, like Violetta and Alfredo, and Rudolfo and Mimi may have been the greatest influence on my love of romance. On Valentine’s Day, I want to celebrate them too.
3). Buy Chocolate. Duh.
4) Watch a romcom movie with friends. Girlfriends are the best kind of people to hang out with on a day like this. My friends, at least, understand my love of romance. They understand why it’s a beautiful topic to talk about. They understand why a relationship takes lots of planning and thinking, and why that’s a fun idea to revel in.
My central point is that I want my Valentine’s Day to reflect the romance I’ve absorbed in songs, stories, friendships, and nature. I want to develop a love like Dante’s, which took him in pursuit of Beatrice all the way up to Heaven. I want to love like Agnes Wickfield, who kept her passion alive through many dull days until her immature lover was finally mature enough to embrace her. These characters and many more have brightened every corner of my life, and I think they can do much for my love life. Like Anne Shirlely, I’m a big believer in the whole world savouring romance. We just need to look for it. Also like Anne, I am convinced that such a quest for romance will influence and strengthen any future relationship I have. I need to make myself into a loving person before I can bring love to someone else. That’s why I want to celebrate the love of a thousand bright souls in the confidence that it will prepare me for the love of one.
Perhaps my first date will be something of a letdown after all. Maybe, after soaking in all those ideal love stories, messy real life will feel disappointing. Yet, I still want to keep my expectations high, and I’m willing to take the chance of disappointment in holding out for a hero.