Celebrating love…The distance between this day this year and the next

I dislike roses

I dislike diamonds

I dislike soft toys

I dislike pomp and show

I love love-stories

I love romantic poems

I love books

I love candle light dinners

Today is Valentine’s day.  A day when the world celebrates love and some remember a saint by the same name. A day when some reminisce their unrequited love, some bask in the sunshine of being in love, some find scepticism in every act of love and some live in eternal hope for that ‘one love’ and some are just plain rational about this thing called love. A day when the consumer industry make the most of our hopes, our despairs, our ambitions and our desperations. In our country, this day is also marked by some vandalism and moral policing in the name of culture. Pyaar ki toh aisi ki taisi.

While I agree that we do not need a single day for love, I also believe that every moment needs to be celebrated because life is just so precious. And there are such small ways to celebrate the love. Celebrate the love everyday by respecting the person you are with. Respect his dreams and his ambitions, embrace his shortcomings and his fears, enjoy his quirkiness and his misadventures. If you are in love, cook with your partner. Cooking is one of the beautiful ways to connect. Learn about each other’s preferences in food and make the effort to cook that special dish. Plan little surprises, small love notes tucked away for your partner to find. The glint in the eye and that meaningful smile will take your breath away. Have conversations, the mundane and the intellectual ones. Talk books, talk politics,  talk love,  talk child care... Speak what you are thinking and express what you feel. Share opinions,  agree to disagree,  have vehement debates and emotional outbursts. Have conversations. Do things you both enjoy(ed) doing together- a long drive, dinner at a quaint place, watching a play or just making a tub of popcorn and catching that series on the laptop. Remember the moment when you chose him in a heartbeat and if you took ages, remember those ages. We live such rushed lives that we often forget to be grateful for what is there right in front of us. Count your blessings. Count the love of your partner, your family and your friends because love can conquer everything (says the die hard romantic).

There will be a 14^th Feb every year. There will be a rollercoaster ride of emotions every year. Just decide how you want to travel the distance between this day this year and the next.

To love and the beautiful world it creates!

May I say, Happy Love (Valentine’s) Day!

Say it with words,

Say it with silences,

Say it with a song,

Say it with a dance,

Say it with a cake,

Say it with a biryani,

Say it!