Valentines Day Challenge

Well everyone, it's almost here. That day of clashing pinks and reds and a plethora of heart-shaped everything. Yes, love it or hate it, Valentines Day is nigh upon us. Oddly enough, I'm one of the few single people who actually loves it. Most single girls, and some guys, hate Valentines Day, which frankly, I think is stupid. They say things to me like "Ugh, I hate it so much. All it does is remind me that I'm alone." While Valentines Day is generally meant to be romantically shared with a significant other, I don't think it has to be. I guess that's because for me, it never was. When I was little, February 14 meant eating chocolate with mom and eating Cheerios out of heart-shaped cereal bowls with Walter. Even though we don't do those things any more (sadly), the Hallmark holiday is special to me, even though pink and red aren't exactly a match made in heaven. If you are single (like me!), and are usually bummed when Valentines Day come around, or have someone special but are tired of the hype, fear not, because the solution may be here. Valentines Day sells itself with the concept of love. Love in swirling cursive, love in paper lace, love in red roses, and love in copious amounts of chocolate, but if you still have a functioning brain, you probably agree with me when I say that that is not actually real love. What if we, instead of accepting the money-hungry commercial definition of love, decided to live by what love really is. Love is the feeling that motivates us to reach out to other people, to want to fix the broken and find the lost. Love is forgiving those who hurt you, and making things right with those who you have hurt. It's holding the door, giving away your money, drying tears, and walking humbly. Love is what makes the heart whole. If you see things the way I do, and want to make your moments count, or just don't want to spend your Valentines Day moping, here is my challenge to you: Live real love.     
-mads