Valentine Special

With Valentine's up on us, and a dozen roses selling for over $60 a dozen, I figured why not discuss the topic. In my own mind February 14th is the day we buried my Papaw, the love of my Grandma's life. I firmly believe it's a merchandiser's holiday aimed to segregate the single crowd and apply pressure to the rest. If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm not a fan. If you have to drop a couple Benjamins on dying flowers and sugary delights to prove your love for another person once a year, it simply doesn't feel right.

This, in no way, implies I don't believe in love itself. I'm actually one of the world's biggest suckers for a great love story. Whether it's in a well written novel, a late-night Hallmark movie, or watching couples in our local Walmart, I fall for it every time. A multitude of variations and levels of love are absolutely present in each of our lives. If you look for it, you will see love in action all around you. In my experience love is a single word used to describe a combination of all emotions. More specifically, the acknowledgement and acceptance of those emotions. Love, is the finest representation of empathy.

The first true love of my life was none other than the late, great, Charlie Daniels. Even in my single digit era that man and his fiddle could make this girl get up and dance. That love grew and blossomed into an appreciation for many genres of music. Later on, I found a love for Donnie Wahlberg and eventually accepted it was purely infatuation, and I'd grow up to being content simply watching him on reruns of Blue Bloods. Healthy infatuation of big-name stars can be a blessing really. One gets to experience the butterflies, heart palpitations, and excitement without fear of legitimate heartbreak. Looking back, I'd take a night out screaming for a young Aaron Lewis and Staind over the entire relationship with the high school boyfriend who proved to be just man enough to dump me in McDonald's drive thru while I was working. That teenage fascination is a beautiful example of the types of love, and how it is everchanging. In the 1990s we met as strangers, began dating, and in my mind were going to be together for a lifetime. I believed that was supposed to be all peoples' objective. He was more of a live in the moment kind of soul and still is. 30 years later we are still what I would consider good, platonic friends, and what began as a fascination evolved into a lifelong family kind of love.

One of my favorite love stories has always been a couple who use to reside in our little piece of the world. Ralph was a tall gentleman, and his adoring wife was a tiny little woman full of a beautiful spirit. Anytime you saw one of them, you knew the other was somewhere close by. This couple was never free from the trials and stresses any of the rest of us face, but they had such an understanding of the importance of facing those obstacles together. These two individuals lived their lives so much for their partner, that as I watched them grow older, they physically began leaning into each other to remain upright. Ralph and Inez had been blessed to find that rare, best friend love early in life, and lived to perfect it over many decades. No Hollywood production of romantic comedy will ever compare to what I learned in a lifetime of watching the genuine adoration of that dynamic pair. The love they shared is what inspires and drives all of us to look for such a magical experience.

I can never accept that love is purchasing cut flowers when a fictional holiday demands you do so. Real love is knowing the recipient of those flowers would prefer a rose bush from a local greenhouse, something that will continue to grow and blossom for many years, much like the love you share. Love isn't just frilly lingerie and lit candles for a steamy night of passion, it's also seeing your partner has fell asleep watching an old movie and covering them up on the couch, so you know they're comfortable. Love in its rawest form is being able to look at another person, see their emotions, and having a desire to react. When life brings your partner excitement and joy, you want nothing more than to celebrate with them. In those moments when the world uses him or her for a doormat, you can't imagine anything other than being there to remind your person they are loved and valued. True love is when that compassion flows both directions.

Writing on love and relationships is not my specialty, and I am as far from an expert on the topic as one could be. Maybe it's not a discussion meant for a hunting and fishing website, but it was a nice little vacation from the norm. So, for all those celebrating the 14th of February, Happy Valentine's Day! For all the chocolate lovers, may you fully enjoy the discounted prices February 15th will bring! For the rest of us, we are another holiday closer to spring, and that is worth at least a solid smile.