Happy Valentine's Day

Love, so many people use your name in vain.
Love, those who have faith in you sometimes go astray.
Love, through all the ups and downs, the joys and hurt.
Love, for better or worst I still will choose you first.
-Musiq Soulchild “Love”

Happy Valentine’s Day! Depending on what side of the argument you’re on, Valentine’s Day is either a great day or just another day. Either you love it or you hate it. There really isn’t much room for anything in between. So much time and effort is spent on trying to get the right gift, order the right bouquet of flowers, and get the right box of chocolates that we lose the meaning of the day. Valentine’s Day is a billion dollar occasion so I don’t blame the jewelry stores and florists for bombarding my email with 10 emails everyday for the past 3 weeks. But Valentine’s Day is about more than just little blue boxes, candy and overpriced floral arrangements. Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is about actually spending time and showing your affection for the one that you love.

The only sure things in this world are death and taxes; everything else is a pleasant surprise that we must deal with the best way we know how. Love is the very same way. Very few us, and I would venture to say none of us, ever see love coming. More often than not it sneaks up on us like a thief lying in wait in an alley, and clubs us across the head. By the time we wake up and realized what happen, we’re walking hand-in-hand in the mall going shoe shopping or sitting on the couch watching some movie we’ve never even heard of or would have never otherwise seen, except for our significant other.

Despite the violent metaphor, it feels good. It feels good to love and be loved. It feels good knowing that someone you don’t share a last name or DNA with cares about you and what you do. It feels good to know that someone thinks about you even when you’re not around. It’s a euphoric feeling that makes you feel like you can leap a building in a single bound or outrun Usain Bolt. It’s like riding a rollercoaster at 90 miles per hour just after it hit it’s apex. I guess that’s why they calling it falling in love. The thrill, the excitement, the queasy stomach feeling is the same thing you feel on a rollercoaster or skydiving. The same thrill that entices you to get on this rollercoaster called love is the same thrill that worries people and pushes some people away; afraid that a track might get loose, or that your parachute might not open and we’ll die a gruesome death. Well in real life if any of those things were to happen, yes we would likely die. However, with love, we may be hurt really badly and we may feel like dying but trust me there is life after heartbreak. There is a tomorrow and we continue writing this story and turning the page there is a happy ending.

So on this “The Day of Love” I hope you’re ready to live your life after heartbreak and are ready to walk down the street again in hopes of being mugged, jumped, or clubbed by love once again. If it’s never happened to you before, then you’re in for a treat. If you’ve been there and done that, open yourself up for it to happen again, you just never know when the next time you fall in love may be the last time you fall in love because it’s the man/woman of your dreams.

I’m thankful for the special lady in my life and all the happiness she’s brought into my life. Thank you for the butterflies, the goosebumps, the hugs, the kisses, laughs, the smiles and for believing in me and in us. Thank you!

Happy Valentine’s Day Folks! Stay Up and Be Blessed!