The dichotomy of Valentine’s Day is that it brings us two contradictory perspectives depending on the circumstances of our present day. In this particular day, we remember what we have lost within our unpredictable journey and on the other hand, we are reminded to be incredibly grateful for the people that occupy the valuable spaces within our lives.
In the essence of the day, the majority of my closest friends will be spending the day in the best manner that single individuals can– that is with loving each other well within their friendships. Considering them, they will take the night off, sip on some rosé, and cycle through a few classic chick-flicks. At the end of the night, there will be laughter and the deepest joy in recognizing that each and every one of them is cherished by one another.
As for the new couple on the radar, my male friend will be inviting his beautiful girlfriend to a dining venue with 3 dollar signs and treating her to another memorable night. Days as such are precious within the realm of newly found love, as there is an undeniably a very special occasion in finding someone who you treasures you as equally as you do them.
For my mother, and others who have also lost a spouse with age, there is a chance that she will spend a portion of time at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery delivering flowers to her loved ones. When the memories of my father settle, perhaps she will arrive right on time to see a bouquet of flowers from my sister and I, a display of our appreciation and admiration of her unwavering strength.
With my Valentine’s Day, I will be spending it exactly how I have spent the last two, with an individual I appreciate a lot. Every year around this specific time, I am increasingly grateful for the relationship that we have built up brick by brick with the combination of mutual effort, understanding, and love.
As today is the day before Valentine’s, take the opportunity to not only make the plans for the day ahead but to decipher what the significance of Valentine’s Day is to you. Whether or not you have the conventional Valentine’s Day or one that differs from the norm due to circumstances or by choice, take the moment to evaluate what or who in your life embodies love. If, in this season of your life, you have faced adversities or heartbreak within romance, remember this:
The purest form of love, as I see it, grows over the span of our lifetime, regardless of who our current partners are. In all honesty, it’s the love that happens to be the greatest struggle and the love we hold for one single person. Ourselves. It is the most rewarding kind of love, the one that brings the most satisfaction, and the one that motivates us to wake up in the morning and to live to the fullest.