
Well, "It's Valentine's Day" I thought to myself. However, at this point in my life I felt no connection to a day I've grown to know as associated with a superficial cliché. So, I quickly dismissed the idea. I reminded myself this quest is all about conscious awareness of ones' own truth and I found myself back pondering upon Valentine's Day and what it has meant to me all these years. Suddenly to my surprise, an uncomfortable feeling gradually seeped in and I realized I had no personal spoken or unspoken thoughts about Valentine's Day...a day that for many represents a celebration of Love. But you see life has its own way of unfolding. And when you choose to live it consciously in search of your authentic self, it will reveal the truth...your truth!
So I made it up the elevator to the third floor and unlocked the door with the electronic key provided to all who work at the central business office of one of the most highly respected and well known Hospitals in Kansas. I swipe the employee ID card and it clocks me in at 5:50 a.m. As usual I am one of the first few to arrive, if not the first, and I make my way through the maze of cubicles to find my own. I begin my work as I do on any other ordinary day. Soon, the usual pitter patter of foot steps and muffled voices fill the air in Suite 300. I am signaled by a co-worker who wants to talk. So, I stroll over and stand vigilantly as she expresses herself to me in need of a friend. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I saw a "temp" leaving my cubicle. As she goes into the cubicle next to mine, she catches my glance and waves a Valentine's Day candy bag followed by a big friendly smile to let me know there was one for me when I return to my desk. I remember thinking what a sweet gesture. As soon as I settled into my comfy desk chair, another co-worker who is a young mother of three, shows me what looks like an aluminum-like water bottle. She has a big smile on her face as she proudly shares that her children surprised her this morning with this Valentines gift. It was very special to her because they each personalized it with their own scribbles like "Happy Valentines Day", "I love you mom" and the littlest one who is 5 and learning Spanish in school, wrote "Loca mom" which just so happens to mean "crazy" in Spanish. We giggled together as a warm sensation caressed my heart. I thought of my 3 daughters and how time really flies. She went on to say how she and her husband really don't make a big deal about Valentine's Day between them. They make it a family event with the children and for dinner they bake cookies. I took these gestures as signs and ran with it. I asked a selected few to write down what Valentine's Day means to them at this point in their lives. I gave them each a piece of paper and requested only that they express their truth. I was impressed on their willingness to do so. I was amazed at how different Valentine's Day is perceived. Here are are the scribed Valentine Notes:"Valentine's Day for me is about showing everyone in your life that you love and care for them. May it be your great-grandma or your daughter. With the hectic schedules of our everyday lives, it is easier to take those closest to you for granted. Today is a day to show them just how much you appreciate the. -Crystal Campbell
Valentine's Day to me is a day to show those we care about a little extra attention. It's not about gifts, flowers, candy or making stores rich. It's about reminding people they are important & thought of often & loved very much. Sometimes life gets busy & we forget to tell people how we feel, today is a good day to scream & shout I LUV U, I NEED U I'M GLAD UR IN MY LIFE THANK YOU FOR BEING U!
-Denise Beck


What does Valentine's Day mean to me? At this stage in my life Valentine's Day has very little significance. I say that not because I have no one to share it with but because I have learned showing love continuously and not on one particular day means much more. For it is the little things, that matter, no the one special gift on Feb 14th that you hope is right. The anxiety, nervousness and disappointment that oftentimes accompany you when thinking of what to get. Will they like it? What if they don't, then what? The anticipated moment arrives and you see the look upon their face. Is it what you expected? Or are you disappointed? In order to love someone else you must first have been shown love. And you must love yourself. For how can you give of yourself freely and willingly without first loving you. Yes, I know society dictates that we do something special for the one that we love on Valentine's Day. But, if we show how much we love our significant other by doing the little things throughout the year, Valentine's Day may not matter as much. The one that you love will already know how you feel..Because of the little things.
-Joe Crowell
Every person at KCCC that I have met has been very nice to me I just wanted to show that I do
-Katina Walker
Valentine's Day is bull crap. I mean ppl buy gifts nd stuff jus cuz they supposed to. I mean who really knows what Valentine's Day is about, like why we actually celebrate it nd y it's a day? If you really love someone u wouldn't need a specific day jus to express that. And then some women take it all overboard expecting a gift. To me Valentine's Day is jus like Christmas, it's lost it's meaning, it's not about the gifts it's about being with the one u love and barely anyone in this society takes the time to really think about that. It's like Valentine's Day is more of a habitual celebration opposed to a sentimental and heartfelt thing which is what it should be. I get the girl I love presents just because or because she has had a bad day or something, it's to show I care nd that I'm thinking about her not because it's expected of me or because it's what im supposed to do. -Malik
What Valentine's Day means to me is very simple. It's knowing that every year I will get a card & gift from one of my favorite stores from my DAD! Yes, my Dad. He does this every year, but for some reason it is stil always a surprise to me & makes me fell very special. I mean I know that he loves me, he shows it all the time. But, I guess it's something special that he doesn't consider my mom as the only person he has to show how much he loves them. On this day we celebrate our love for that special someone. :) -Tiffany B. Henderson
So, there you have it..."love-hate" Valentine thoughts. As to me, what I learned on this quest is that not 'one' thing has to mean the same to all. Here you had a day that supposedly is about 'Love' and

-SimplyyMayra
Cutest post ever! I was reading through it and at some parts it made me laugh, at some parts it made me emotional (in a good way), and at the end it made me ponder, which I guess is the whole point of your blog "Ponder Wonder". Good work <3
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Happy to hear my post stirred up some emotions! It's very nice of you to share. Thank you for visiting my blog. Keep coming back for more!
ReplyDelete