Appreciating and Loving People is What Valentines Day is About

February is a great time to think about all the relationships in your life. I coincidentally happened to get a timely book out of the library this week. I didn’t know what it was about, but the cover looked interesting. Yes, I judge books by their cover! The book is called Every Day by David Levithan and I wanted to share a few powerful excerpts that made me pause while reading.

“What is is about the moment you fall in love? How can such a small measure of time contain such enormity? I suddenly realize why people believe in deja vu, why people believe they’ve lived past lives, because there is no way the years I’ve spent on this earth could possibly encapsulate what I’m feeling. The moment you fall in love feels like it has centuries behind it, generations – all of them rearranging themselves so that this precise, remarkable intersection could happen. In your heart, in your bones, no matter how silly you know it is, you feel that everything has been leading to this, all the secret arrows were pointing here, the universe and time itself crafted this long ago, and you are just now realizing it, you are just now arriving at the place you were always meant to be.”

It’s the best feeling and everyone should know it at least once in their life. Every artist in every medium has tried to describe the feeling of falling in love. This particular one resonated with me as I can remember distinct times in my life where I thought how un-probable a chance meeting was, yet how powerfully it affected me. I have fallen in love with people, places, and things with the same feelings. It’s even better when the feelings can be prolonged beyond that moment.

“They don’t realize that the best thing about love is its regular presence. Once you can establish that, it’s an added foundation to your life. But if you cannot have that regular presence, you only have the one foundation to support you, always.”

I found that particularly moving and truthful. I know a number of people who are in long-term relationships or married that might not recognize the added strength they have because of their partner. If you’re lucky enough to have that added strength (be it emotional, financial, or otherwise) it’s important to recognize it and thank those who provide it for you. You just don’t know what they are feeling and how much it could mean to them.

“Depression has been likened to both a black cloud and a black dog. For someone like Kelsey, the black cloud is the right metaphor. She is surrounded by it, immersed within it, and there is no obvious way out. What she needs to do is try to contain it, get it into the form of the black dog. It will still follow her around wherever she goes; it will always be there. But at least it will be separate, and will follow her lead.”

I guarantee everyone know people who are clinically and severally depressed though they might not know it. Valentines Day is a great time to reach out to people and remind them that you care. Even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal to you it could mean the world to them. And really, wouldn’t you risk looking a bit overly-emotional if it meant that it could change someone’s day or even week for the better? How we treat one-another is of the upmost importance for the well being of society.

“If you demonize a person’s pleasure, then you can control his or her life.”

Although short, this is a powerful statement. The book touches on a number of same-sex, intersex, and other nontraditional relationship pairings. For me, this statement made a clear argument in support of all relationships. Love is love after all, and after some thought it does seem to be that the prevailing reason people have demonized these relationships is because they aim to have control over people. When said in this eloquent and succinct way, it’s painfully obvious how wrong that is.

This last quote sums up everything I’m trying to highlight extremely well.

“If you stare at the center of the universe, there is a coldness there. A blankness. Ultimately, the universe doesn’t care about us. Time doesn’t care about us. That is why we have to care about each other.”

There is nothing on this earth that is more important that the people on it. No amount of money or possessions can bring as much happiness as surrounding yourself with people who care. We can have such an impact on people’s lives with simple gestures and comments. Let’s use that ability to create a better quality of life for everyone.


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  1. Guest

    It’s so true. I know I’m guilty of not telling more people how I feel. It’s a hard thing to do. Glad you posted and I’ll think on this.

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