This Thursday was the 14 February. A day celebrated by some as Saint Valentines day.
I really enjoyed this day this year. For the first time I was consciously a part of the day’s festivities. I planned a wonderful playlist for my indoor cycling class. I wrote a note, yes hand written, for each of the members who had booked a bike for the class. It expressed my feelings towards them for choosing to be in the class I give.
They also got chocolate. That meant it was a hard class. Overcompensation for the extra calories
My active participation in the day is very simply, acknowledging the day and what it means. Choosing whether I will take part in the day or not. Making the most of any decision I make.
To celebrate or commemorate the day takes nothing away from anyone who may not share the sentiments of the day. There are many people who celebrate and or commemorate many days for many reasons. Days such as birthdays, first meetings, engagements, weddings, deaths, first job. While all these are of significance, they may not be as widely publicised as Christmas, Eid and Valentines day their importance for those who celebrate the day cannot be undermined.
I found that through my 38 years (take a few), I was part of a culture of celebration and commemoration in which I was a passive or unconscious participant. It was the sentiment of my family, friends, community, the school system or another being beside myself that had decided the terms of reference. I had gone along with whatever was the “order of life”. I had not chosen my experience to be my light. I did not ask. I did not listen.
Valentines used to be a celebration of more personal romantic relationships. Now, with my circumstances, it became a celebration of a more universal concept of giving yourself to others. It became about understanding that love transcends the romance.
It may be only one day a year that we take the time to remind ourselves and those with whom we choose to share our lives, that we have a bond unbreakable, but at least it is a reminder.
You are Love and you are Loved, eternally