With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it is quite normal to think of love. It seems as if February 14th is the day where girls wear pink dresses and receive flowers while boys get new cologne. It’s the universal date night. We identify the holiday as a day to celebrate couples. However, love is not exclusive to those in relationships. It is all around us, everywhere. It is felt between family members and friends. It is in one’s perspective on their career or passions. There is self-love, which encourages all other love. Moreover, love is the base of the Christian faith, and in most other major religions as well. It’s the center of every movie we gush over. It’s when you feel appreciated, or when you appreciate others. It’s in our heart constantly, not just on one day, and certainly not just for one other person.
There are hundreds of ways to say “I love you” without ever mentioning those words. There are “Wear your seatbelt and text me when you get home,” or “do you want my sweater to keep you warm.” It’s in friends texting one another, making sure everyone got home safely after a night out. It’s sending a package of cookies with the message “thinking of you.” It’s in spiritual hope with the promise “I’ll pray for you.” It’s sharing music, sharing food, and sharing memories. It’s in questions, it’s in answers. It’s said in the words of a poem. It’s said in the words of a memoir. There’s “I value you,” and “I don’t know where I would be without you.” It’s in actions other than just hugs and kisses. It’s promising to do something, and then doing it. It’s done through acts of kindness. Love isn’t just a feeling: love is a way of life.
Therefore, Valentine’s Day isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it’s important to show people we love them on February 14th, however what we do every other day of the year is just as important.
Sources: