I Love You

Well, happy Valentines Day everyone.

I'll admit that I have mixed feelings about the whole occasion....the fact of my singleness.... combined with the fact that it isn't actually a holiday so I don't get time off school/work etc....combined with the fact that I am no longer in elementary school where we all got to give out Valentines....makes the day less than anticipated in my world.

Not that I hate it, couples do cute things, cute movies come out, and there's an abundance of chocolate. I think its great that we have a day set aside to celebrate love (although the history geek in me wonders where this whole Cupid love thing came from when the origins of Valentine's Day are a tribute to saints that were martyred), but the bigger issue I have with the day is the narrow view of love that is taken. Perhaps more than just romantic love should be celebrated on this day....that way everyone would have something to celebrate.

But lets talk about love for a minute...I really wish we would stop devaluing this whole romantic "love" thing. I mean, I've only ever done this whole singleness thing, but I've observed a lot of relationships and let me tell you something....Let me tell you what won't be real high on my 'to-do' list upon entering a relationship: this. This whole saying "I Love You" business....and future man better have been given some insight into this, because I feel quite strongly about the matter.

I'm not saying we shouldn't love people, and act lovingly and speak lovingly. I just think our world has forgotten what it means to say "I love you" to someone. In the context I'm referring to, that phrase is pretty powerful. "I Love You" isn't just gonna slip out of my mouth one day, it won't be flippant, it won't be a surprise, and it won't be taken back the next week. To me, "I Love You" is the expression of a commitment. Saying it is a choice. I'm all about choices, and recognizing that almost everything in life is a choice, and owning the choices that you make. When I say "I Love You", it will mean "I am choosing to love you. I am choosing to love all of you. I am choosing to love you whatever the future holds. I am choosing to love you more than myself. I am choosing you to love, and only you". If that sounds intense, if those sound kinda like wedding vows, then I am communicating the message properly. Love is intense, and in my opinion saying I love you should be pretty much synonymous with saying I will marry you. Because if you're choosing to love someone, like really love someone, then there really shouldn't be anything that could break that commitment....not annoying habits, not time, not changes in appearance, not anything.

So future man I'm thinking about you today, and hoping that you aren't saying "I Love You" to some other girl. And when we find each other, please do not be offended or surprised if these three little words don't spill from my mouth on our 1 month, or 6 months. Currently the plan is to only say them to one person, every day, for the rest of our lives.