Ahh...the holiday of love. You either love it, or hate it.
I've held both sentiments throughout my life. But...in the end, I'm a hopeless romantic. Quote me Elizabeth Barrett Browning's classic: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."
Isn't that a wonderful exercise to share with your heart's desire. Count the ways you love him or her. Count the ways you want to love him or her.
The latter could get really fun.
Looking up Valentine's traditions from the past, one that I found rather hilarious was the Victorian Age practice of sending "vinegar valentines."
These were sent to unwanted suitors.
One of these Valentines I saw on The History Channel's Web Site went a little something like this:
To my Valentine
Tis a lemon that I hand you and bid you know. 'skiddoo,'
Because I love another-there is no chance for you!
Today, I'm more likely to take a moment to appreciate lines like:
"I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair..." Neruda
"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart) i am never without it..." Cummings
"The modern biographers ask the rude, irrelevant question of our age, as if the event of two bodies meshing together establishes the degree of love, forgetting how softly Eros walked in the nineteenth-century, how a hand held overlong or a gaze anchored in someone's eyes could unseat a heart..." Mueller.
Those lines have meaning.
Then I think of spirit animals. Butterflies come to mind. They seem appropriate for me.
Native Americans saw butterflies as messengers of transformation. I am on a journey of transformation.
And according to Whatismyspiritanimal.com, in China, "newlyweds were often given gifts bearing two butterfly images to insure their marital happiness and harmony."
Sweet.
Quite a few marriage proposals are made on Valentine's Day. Many flowers, cards, chocolates and jewelry are purchased on this day as well.
Hmmm... as for purchases... I guess I bought three out of the four.
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