Valentine’s Day is an annual love ritual the world over. Expectedly, this weekend the streets will be agog with endless celebrations of love. Restaurants will be packed. Gift baskets, cakes, wine and jewellery will be exchanged between lovers. Couples will stage getaway vacations to showcase undying love.
Singletons mostly feel the tension of their marital status during this period.
What with the ‘tensioning’ ‘drop dead pictures of smiling lovers hopping on PJs, pyjamas clad couples drinking champagne and exotic wine from ice cold buckets. What about eating chocolate in monogrammed bathrobes. Some post pictures of fine dining in swanky restaurants.
Available research figures conservatively put $29.1 billion as the money spent on gifts, food, travel and sundry items by lovers during Valentine’s Day celebrations. It’s simply a cash out for retail, food and allied industries.
So Lady, what’s your plan during this year’s Valentine’s Day besides food, aproko and pressing your phone? If you’re single will you be weeping into your pillow about your status? If you’re married will you be exuberant in your joy? If you’re elderly will you think Valentine’s Day is just for Gen Z lovers?
Well, I’m here to debunk all these assertions here and now. First, do you know that everyone is qualified to celebrate Valentine’s Day. For one, there are different types of love. For another lovely is universal.
Eros, upon which Valentine’s Day is predicated on is the least sustainable and suspect among love types. You see Eros is primarily fuelled by steamy passion, raw emotions and lust. It’s the type of topsy turvy love that’s heady and intoxicating. The ‘I go die’ type of love.
Allow me to run through different types of love.
- Eros: Passionate sexual love
- Agape: Selfless unconditional love of God
- Philia: Deep friendship
*Philautia: Self love
*Storge: Parental/Siblings love - Pragma: Mature, longstanding love
- Ludus: Playful love
- Manic: Obsessive love
So there’s hope then for singles, middle aged, elderly, and others to celebrate Valentine’s Day with meaning and purpose besides wining and dining with their significant other.
Here are some ideas for celebrating love on Valentine’s Day and beyond:
Self love: Dress up and celebrate yourself right in your home. Watch Netflix. Eat chocolate. Order your favourite meal. Play cool music. Be happy.
Community: Step out and give out goodie bags or food packs to disadvantaged people in your neighborhood estate.
Family support: Call up estranged members of your family. Make up and settle your differences. Forgive one another and move on in peace without grudges.
Friends: Call up close friends for an impromptu hangout at your place. Choose a theme or mood for the occasion. Dress up, eat and binge watch YouTube movies.
So what are you getting up to this Valentine’s Day? Will you try out these ideas or add yours.
Please join the conversation with your comments and feedback to mooborscounsellingroom@gmail.com.
By Mubo Okosun
Women’s Editor.
