Love is in the air

As we speak, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Valentine décors and gift ideas are lighting up malls, restaurants, shops and the media. By now, the taken ones are sweating over what to prepare for the 14th (too bad it's just one day short of payday) and the singles...well, they can do just about anything they want. But don't worry. I'm not going to start cracking the usual "firing squad" jokes or preaching the ideals of "single blessedness" (for some people, it hardly feels blessed anyway).

For the taken ones, seriously, you don't have to be so extravagant. Just be sincere in whatever you prepare because what your loved one will remember by the end of the day isn't the expensive candlelit dinner or a huge, overpriced stuffed toy. He or she would be more touched by just your efforts to prove your love. Simple things like a hand-written love letter and quality time together can make the day memorable (yes, I'm giving out hints). It's a cliché but the old wisdom still rings true: It's the thought that counts.

For the singles out there, you have to admit that the single life is fun, too. You can be alone, but it doesn't mean you're lonely. A writer from Cebu, Melanie Lim, once wrote, "You were born complete. You don't need a man to complete you." Happiness doesn't come from another person; it comes from yourself and the way you think.

When you do find someone you want to be with, don't ever think that the person might be "unreachable" or that you wouldn't stand a chance. Give it a shot anyway and be yourself. Believe me, the results could be pleasantly surprising - an emotional adventure even. And if you try, at least you won't be left with regrets or lingering thoughts of what could've been.

In light of Valentine's Day, let me share some of my favorite thoughts on love and loving that just might inspire you during this season of love. I hope they will strike you in one way or another. Enjoy!

The first duty of love is to listen. - Paul Tillich

We love because it's the only true adventure. - Nikki Giovanni

It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be crated for years or even generations. - Khalil Gibran

Love is irrational; some of the looniest things ever done by man are said to be "in the name of love". People drink poison, hurl themselves off tall buildings, undergo expensive cosmetic surgery and commit murder among other things. This may strike the casual observer as insane, but to the person in love, it makes perfect sense. - Jessica Zafra

Love is the strongest force in the world, yet the humblest imaginable. -Gandhi

The key to a long and healthy marriage is that honestly, there's nothing worth fighting about. - Jay Leno

If you love someone, set that person free. If he comes back to you, he's yours to keep. If he doesn't, he never was. - Anonymous

And lastly, a classic for the hardcore romantics: We are all born for love. It is principle of our existence and its only end. - Benjamin Disraeli

Have a happy, happy Valentine's Day!

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