Untapped Potential

Just some thoughts from a single person on Valentine's Day . . .

I thought about writing a letter of love to Ben on my blog, but decided it's no one's business but ours.

And then it came to me that it is! I have my thoughts and you have yours, but coming from a single person, I hope they will come to mean more to you.

The dynamics are similar in any relationship . . . widows and widowers, or lost loves where there's still a glowing ember.

Valentine's Day is simply a commercialized invention conjured up by those who can profit from it. And yet . . . the seed has been planted, resulting in varying thoughts, unavoidable feelings, and the dreaded expectations.

Such as?

Such as (depending on the circumstances):
  "Why didn't he/she get me anything for Valentine's Day"
  "I wish I had it to do over again"
  "Why did I let a career get in the way of the relationship"
  "That couple over there has no idea how lucky they are"
  "There's love going on all around me, but I'm alone -- what, if anything, can I do about it"

The list is endless, and it can become dangerous, especially on a day that makes one's singleness, or a stale relationship, glaringly obvious to themselves.

For those of us in one of those categories, it's easier for us to see that every day should be an noncommercial Valentine's Day. It's easier for us because we can never get back what we had, or should have. That puts the spotlight on all of the untapped potential going on in the world . . . couples who are oblivious to this powerful thing called love, and all that it's capable of, even though they think they're "in" it.

It's easy to say "I love you", but do you? What do you do to show it? And I'm not just talking about buying a card, chocolates and flowers one day of the year. I'm asking whether the object of your love knows beyond that shadow of a doubt that they're appreciated, that they can depend on you, that you're truly present in the relationship.

Truly. Present.

Powerful words. But meaningless if you don't "get it".

Yes, I had that kind of love once, maybe even twice, and I learned that a true soul mate is a rare thing. Something I don't expect to experience again in my lifetime.

But I'm lucky enough to still feel it's presence . . .