Lamiya Siraj :
When February dawns, there is love in the air. Everybody seems to be in a race to outshine the other. Advertisements abound during this month, and there are offers everywhere. Hoardings pop up with a red theme and red hearts even as social media promotes them all.
All this has left me thinking. Do we need a special day or month to express our love? Will that make our relationship stronger? Will spending our time, energy and money on one day, which is Valentine’s Day, make a difference to our relationship?
Will gifting roses, chocolates and other gifts prove our love?
According to me, love cannot be bound or expressed on a particular day. Love cannot depend on goodies and a dinner date. Love is divine, and we need to feel it. It’s a lifetime commitment. And one month, one day, or one moment are not enough for that! If you love someone truly, make every day a Valentine’s day, every moment special. Why restrict it to just one day! True love is not just about gifts and dinner dates. It cannot be materialistic. It’s beyond all that.
Making the one you love happy is important. Provide security by all means.
Respect the person and give equal rights and weightage to his or her opinions and decisions in life.
Happiness starts within ourselves. The day we will learn to love ourselves, we will be happy. Many of us misunderstand life by thinking and worrying about the future. But we should not trade our happiness for what we think we need. Don’t spend money to impress people. No doubt we become happy when we gift someone something. But don’t mix up the two!
Let’s be creative in our freedom and passion. It will surely bring great rewards. Do not allow precious moments to pass-by. Don’t let the charm and hype of Valentine’s Day make you feel empty, leaving you hungry. Be happy, because you are the greatest undiscovered adventure of your lifetime.
(The writer is based in Abu Dhabi)
