Monday, February 14, 2011

love song

it's the number one topic on everyone's mind today, and everyone's got something very specific to say about it: love. l-o-v-e, l-u-v, etc., etc., etc. hearts and flowers, cheesy commercials, all that jazz. it's a hallmark holiday; people love it, people hate it. i'm not going to parse the ethics, the mechanics or the value of valentine's day. i hate crass commercialism, and this is certainly a screeching example of that, but it's also kind of anodyne. we grew up with parties in school with pink-iced cookies and stupid little cards. somehow, that got twisted into hundreds of dollars and all this PRESSURE. i won't go there.

what i will do is this. i take this time to reclaim the idea of a day to spread love around. so i love y'all. i love my family, my friends, all the people who are important to me. that's the kind of love that everyone can celebrate, single or attached. i care like hell about you people, because you take the time to care about me. it's a fabulous thing.

and seeing as i am fortunate enough to be attached this valentine's day, i'm going to spend a little time talking to the man. (indulge me. if you're not into romance, i won't be insulted if you move on.)

dear love: here we are, our first valentine's day as boyfriend-and-girlfriend. i had almost given up hope that we'd ever get here together. but you and i pledged ourselves to each other, heart and soul as well as body. lord knows we're far from traditional, but that's what i love about us. you've always known my heart better than anyone else. always. you give me everything you have, tending to me in every way possible. your strength as a partner is how you combine caring for me exclusively with granting me the space to be who i am. so thank you for everything. i've always loved you so much. however far away, i will always love you. forever and ever, amen.

happy valentine's day, y'all. :)

4 comments:

  1. the kay jewelers open hearts collection...not so much...but im allll about spreading love around today...and every day... happy valentines day!
    xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually, what is on my mind today is the fact that it is the first day of Spring Training. But that's just me

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. Thank you for teaching me a new word: anodyne.
    2. Valentine's should be about showing everyone you love that you love them, regardless of whether it's romantic or not. Therefore, I'd like to let you know that I thoroughly enjoy our friendship and I'm so glad we "met"!
    3. YAY for having The Man in your life!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aw, sweet letter to the man at the end...and completely absolutely okay to talk about it even though it could be considered cliched as it is Valentines Day..but I'm clearly guilty as charged on that one;-) Love is awesome and is meant to be celebrated, no matter what day it is. Right?

    ReplyDelete

your turn.