The magic in the air was conjured up without the wave of a wand. There was no magician in sight, yet everything glowed with radiant colors of red and white. Imagine walking in a garden of red roses, and white lilies, with the green grass beneath your feet. Imagine the beauty. It would be surreal. Surrealism has always appealed to my gentle and complacent soul. Yes, my soul is quite complacent, and non-chalant. The years have not improved it. My emotions never surface. They remain hidden, like the sun behind the clouds in the early morn.

You see, the beauty of the 44th day of every year, is its diversity. And the beauty of history, is that, history never repeats itself. Mark my words, history never repeats itself. A steady flow of events, will never have the same resulting effects. Every action has an equal reaction. Vagueness brings forth awe, and mystery. Ambiguity invokes even more meanings, and makes every other thing in life relative and opinionated. Everyone sees the 14th of February as a special day set aside to show love. Humans, and the mundane attachments they have to certain dates. The 1st of the January (a day to celebrate the past 365 days, and celebrate the next 364 days). Whatever happened to celebrating every day, and living like one would die the next day? The 25th of December (the supposed birthday of Jesus Christ). Whatever happened to celebrating his birth every day? The 26th of December (Boxing Day- A day to share gifts). Whatever happened to sharing gifts every day? And then the 44th day of every year; Valentine’s Day, a day for showing love. A day when husbands would spoil their wives. A day when wives would ‘kill’ for their husbands. A day when lovers would do the extra for their lovers. Whatever happened to showing love every day? Why wait for a certain day to do all these things? Why wait for a certain day to buy the lovely bouquet of roses for your girlfriend? Or buy that Musk for your boyfriend? Or perhaps notice that your girlfriend just got a new earring, which accentuates her smile? Why wait for this day to shower love on everybody? Why wait for this day to determine a whole lot?

A lot will happen on this day. Babies will be made. Love will be rekindled. Hearts will be broken. Lives will be lost, and a victor will emerge. I do not support waiting for a certain day to show love, but the cards are not in my favor. Should we decide to encapsulate the essence of Valentine’s Day in our actions on the 14th of February, let us do it with a new thought. ‘All for One’ and ‘One for All.” Let us cast away ‘selfishness’ and embrace ‘selflessness.’ Let us show HER love, and not Him, or Him. Let us show HER love, and not Them or Them.

Let us show HER love.

Submitted by Dipe Oluwatobi Olamide