Valentine's Day Revisited

[Red Heart -- LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - 2014]

Happy Valentine's Day! 
Today, we observe the long-standing tradition of celebrating coupling, love, and devotion...through the long-standing practice of mass-merchandising. 
Did you select just the right card for that special someone in your life? Is the flowers arrangement fresh-looking? Were the brand of chocolates that you perused still in stock by the time you made it to the store? Better yet, did your favorite romantic restaurant still have that "one table" left open for your reservation?
If so, congratulations! Your special someone will appreciate you properly checking off the boxes on the list of "Things That Prove You Love Me One Day a Year."
Call me strange -- preferably Doctor Strange, if you must -- but I've always believed that if I'm devoted to that special someone in my life, I don't wait for a calendar notation, or even a sale at my local Hallmark Store, to show someone that I love them. I try to show them on any given day of the year, because they mean the world to me and my life is so much fuller with them in it. That's true whether of the third Thursday in March or the second Tuesday in August...because it's the "ordinary days" that actually mean the most. It's when you can look at the overall quality of your daily relationship over a long-term spectrum and appreciate -- nay, celebrate -- the impact of that person in your life.
People often tend to take stock of the important things in their lives only when either it's no longer there, or when the calendar prompts them to do so. I understand. We're busy humans; bustling around the planet like busy bees and industrious ants, each trying to make our place in the world or accomplish some self-driven feat. What can I say? We're only human, right?
Yet, I've lost enough people close to me over the years to realize that it's the everyday impact of people in your life that really matters, and I try to demonstrate that to them throughout the year. So, when that special calendar day arrives, they already know that I love, appreciate, adore, and respect them for their important place in my life.
So, for all of you who are out there celebrating this special Hallmark-sponsored day on the calendar, I wish you well and much success.
For me, it's a day when I look in the mirror and happily say... "Damn, I'm happy to be single."
Until later, enjoy life; be kind to those around you, and Happy Reading! Peace.