A day of love. A day dedicated to that special someone who makes your body whimper, your mind rest at ease, and your heart flutter with freedom. It is a day for love.
All we need is love, and here comes February 14th, Valentine’s Day. And of course love is the last thing on people’s mind. This might sound crazy, but take a second to stop and look at the world at large. Look not only at our western society, with its’ agendas deep in the bogs of consumerism, causing wallets to become sticky with humidity and the consumer’s palms sweaty with disease, but at the whole revolving world of living. Yes, the truth behind Valentine’s Day is celebrated by few great souls while the rest live it as a day for buying—another twenty-four hours in the economic world.
Now, this could sound like The Grinch’s Manifesto for another holiday, but it is not. I promise. Instead, it’s a detailed look at the inside and the outside of the day of lovers.
Love At The Counter
The day before Valentine’s Day I was in Whole Foods Market doing just that… shopping for my lover and me. She was on my mind—the way her body whimpers, how her mind rests within mine, the feel of her heart-skipping beat. And likewise, my own love for her. Then checkout. I had the necessary products in hand. There were strawberries, chocolates, toasted almonds, pears and cheeses (all organic). A bouquet of stargazers and a bottle of Cabernet. I was happy. I’d done well.
The cashier swung my goods across the scanner. He weighed the bulk. He checked prices. And then he put his nose into the flowers and inhaled. He didn’t look at me, instead he looked at his co-worker—the bagger. “Is today Valentine’s Day?” the man inquired.
The bagger looked up with ambivalence stretched across his brows. “Today? No man,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Tomorrow.”
“Ah,” said my cashier as he passed me the bouquet of stargazers. “Another holiday gone to waste.”
Now this was me. I was looking at an image of myself behind the black Whole Foods apron, ready and able to ring-up and checkout customers. It was an image of me before I was in love.
Chuckling, I listened to their conversation: Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays of in-between holidays. It gives people the reason to buy and spend. Chocolate, flowers, food and wine. What’s the point? Obviously you don’t have a lover do you? No, I don’t. That’s why I didn’t even know tomorrow’s Valentine’s. I’ll be saving my money and spending it where it matters. But doesn’t love matter?
It was intriguing—this conversation betwixt cashier and bagger—and I wanted to put in my two cents (Unfortunately, I had to put in more then that). But the line backed-up as I carefully stuffed the products of love within my pack. Doesn’t love matter? I wondered.
The Purchased Manifesto
Consider this the Love Manifesto, and Valentine’s Day—as is any other day—a perfect day to whimper in love, think in love and feel in love. Love is not encapsulated within one singular day. Love is everywhere and made of all things. And those that deny this enlightening truth miss a major part of being human. For example, Saudi Arabia is defying anything red. Say a man walks down the road with an arrangement of roses. And they’re red. What will happen? How can someone prevent another from loving someone or something? Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual… Doesn’t love matter?
Now, I’m not saying the Arab world celebrates Valentine’s Day. I have no idea. It’s just one day out of 365.2422 in a year. So, which is the day to celebrate one’s lover in Medina or Riyadh? And can there be red?
And again, a day before the day of love, lovers and loving; the United States government applauds the death of Hezbollah leader, Imad Mughniyeh. This is not love, my fellow citizens… Valentine’s Day has been missed. No, I correct myself: Everyday has been missed in this case.
On another scale of world politics and news, Steven Spielberg retracts his position as Advisor to the Olympic Games in Beijing due to China’s ties with the genocide in Darfur. In the NY Times article, Spielberg is quoted as saying “my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.” That’s a businessman with love in his heart. Mine skips a beat. Does yours?
A Love Not Sold
Everyday is a day of love, and no one day should be isolated from the human experience sharing love with another. In all acts—in all thoughts, words and feelings—the presence of love not only transforms one’s life, but also benefits the world, and the world beyond this little planet we call home. From suicide bombings, to individual decisions based on immoral facts, to begging families and starving children—we have a responsibility to ourselves and to our human family to perform all banal and extraordinary acts out of a service of love. Valentine’s Day or not, embrace your loved ones and embrace your enemies. Love is the makeup of day-to-day experience, so embrace this feeling in all things.
On February 14th, 2008 many will not have the opportunity to be with their lover(s). I will be one of them. I will not be able to look into her eyes or hear her whisper in my ear. I will not have the chance to whimper, to rest at ease by her side, or feel my heart flutter with her’s. But from a connection of love unseen by the ordinary eye, I will be in love with her, as will I be in love with my co-workers and the customers receiving our service. I will be in love this Valentine’s Day as I was in love yesterday and the days before and those ahead. Valentine’s Day is not just one holiday for lovers, but simply another day to express yourself with the freedom of love.
