think: is love really in the air?

who cares if today is friday the 13th, coz everyone is looking forward to valentine's day tomorrow. after all, love can battle all odds right? including any unfortunate events that is rumoured to happen to people on this supposedly-unlucky day?

yesterday afternoon i was just surfing around online and taking peeks into my friends' blogs and websites, when i came across this page where the writer was talking about her __th month anniversary with her boyfriend. (to maintain some privacy, i'm naming the writer Q. something different from the usual X.) Q was jotting down her sweet thoughts of being together with her significant other half for __ months. and she mentioned that people say that the first month is to get to know each other better, the second month is to overcome difficulties. and if they can get past 6 months, it should be able to last. then i question myself: last? last how long? last for what? Q is so glad to feel the love she is receiving, and is more than glad to give her love to someone she thinks is worthy. but honestly speaking, can 6 months really prove to stand against all odds that come with any relationship? most of us, if not all, would say that is impossible.

as i ponder on this, young people nowadays (to avoid sounding old, remember i'm just a little older than them) have yet to realise that true love does not come so easily. christians would know from 1 corinthians 13 the qualities of perfect love and that it can only come from God, coz we are all humans and it is "human to err". as christians, we do have the advantage of enjoying what perfect love is. but please put some thought into this point. christians and non-christians alike, how many of us have learnt that waiting till we are more matured and have put thought into our future, would be more appropriate for us to get involved with someone and be "in for the long run"? how many of us, when we finally meet the one who want to spend the rest of our lives with, can be 100% comfortable with talking about our past boy/girl-friends without feeling embarrassed, awkward, or finding ourselves keeping some facts from each other? wouldn't it be great if you can tell your other half that you have not loved anyone else other than him or her? although he or she may be the person you loved the most, but nothing beats being truly the "one and only".

so let me encourage you to make it a point not to jump into relationships so easily. stop, see, wait, then cross over to couple-dom. (a bit like crossing the zebra crossing.) for christians out there, let's trust God to provide the special someone for you, as He knows best and wants the best for you. as i heard from one of my friends, he has never spent a valentine's day alone since i-don't-know-when. but does it really matter? so what if he found someone to spend tomorrow with? is it really that important? will it be so significant? love is not only for lovers. what about family? what about friends? i'm sure you love them just as much. and even if you have someone to spend this day with, let not this day be the only day you express your love for him or her. shouldn't you love him or her the same on every usual day?

at the end of the day, valentine's day has evolved into a marketing gimmick. to boost the national GDP. to create sales for little red, and preferbly heart-shaped, things. to attract double the sales of anything companies are trying to sell. to help nurseries finish their bulk of roses, so that new buds can start to grow. to give restaurant owners and chefs the challenge to yet another testing time of their creativity.