Love
Love is one strange emotion; it can pull at the heartstrings, tug and the soul, and melt the iciest heart. Some are fortunate to find it early on in life, and I am lucky enough to count myself in this group, some however find it elusive and secretive and very hard to find. It can be a wonderful feeling and it can be a sad thing, but I don’t think that a special day of love is really needed much these days. I’m not so sure Valentines Day is as relevant now as it used to be; perhaps this is just the old cynic creeping out past the ever-aging romantic.
Cliche
If you love someone you shouldn’t feel you have to wait until 14th February (although I have to agree there is a certain romanticism about this day) to profess your love. You should be showing it in all kinds of different ways throughout the year, you should be saying “ I love you “ more than you probably are, a point of which I am particularly guilty at omitting. It is obviously nice to confront your feelings more on the 14th, but some forget to confront them the rest of the year. The cliché romantic meal, the equally cliché wander on the beach are all very romantic, and I think fitting ways to celebrate what you have together as a couple. A nice bunch of flowers is perhaps also a bit cliché, but most women will appreciate the effort if you go to the bother of choosing and picking them yourself. I think however sweet any of these options might be, it is worth thinking about doing something completely different, something spontaneous, something you know will blow her socks off, but if you are going to all the effort you can’t forget to say these three little words.
Aging
I think as the years go on, 34 in my case, it becomes easier to just trudge along with the flow and fall into the rut without ever saying how you feel as often as perhaps you should. Whom ever you are it is nice to hear the words “ I Love You “ and have that little rush of blood fill your head with all the emotions that were vibrant all those years ago. They may not be as vibrant now, but they are still as relevant. I don’t need anything special to know or tell my wife I love her, as long as she is still here then I’m happy. Perhaps treat ourselves to something a bit more out of the ordinary for tea, and share a bottle of plonk along with a good movie. That’ll do nicely for me thanks, for I don’t need the 14th of Feb to be special for me, every day is already special enough. If you are venturing into this for the first time I envy you, for it is no doubt an exciting and thrilling part of being alive, and the memories keep flooding back. If like me you have been an item for a long time, don’t take it all for granted, and remember you don’t have to wait unitl the 14th to show how much you care.
