VeeDay and Inner Peace

"Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace..."

I hope you all had a "romantic" and unforgettable Valentine's Day celebration my dear readers, whether you're single, double or a member of the "it's complicated" tribe. My VeeDay for the past couple of years had been uneventful - spent at home, in the arms of the one I love with all my heart - my daughter. Mundane if you say but peaceful.

I read the quote above from a magazine that I forgot the name. Being a solo mom made me consciously ignore dates and occassions to avoid getting sidetracked. It's easy to fall into a lot of negativity when you dwell too much on what's happening around you - say for example the profusion of affection or lack of on February 14. 

I too had my share of the Valentine's Day rush when every other person on the street goes HHWW (holding hands while walking) and you have a partner that you do HHWW with.   Yes, it's a huge departure from my previous February 14s where I  would be dress to the nines and going home with beautiful flowers in tow. Back then, dates would mean a steak dinner, cooked medium well, flushed with two bottles of Stella Artois.  But my  self-imposed hiatus from the social scene made VeeDay just an ordinary day eversince I became an Ina-Tay.

The transition I admit was not easy. I also walked on the shoes of those who just found themselves "dateless" last February 14, feeling dejected while Elvis Presley croons on the radio "Are you lonesome tonight"? Gone where the flowers and the knees that turn to Jello; no more steak dinners. Date was home where I would cook something special for mom and whoever finds their way to our doorsteps. Eventually, I got the hang of it and I've gotten used to domestic Valentine's Day.

Mom and I have a theory - that it always rains on Valentine's Day. And for the nth time, it did rain.  I reckon this caused traffic in downtown area to become more congested. On the other hand, the weather must have added a good reason to cuddle with your loved one. Being single and dateless spared me from traffic and the possibility of catching a cold. I think I also did my share in protecting the environment because there was not need to spritz perfume and I allowed the flowers that were supposed to be for me to grow. I need not worry about finding a nice gift for a "significant other".

Valentine's Day has become an industry. Flowershops, restaurants, bakeshops, motels and even manong taxi drivers cash in on the inate romanticism of Pinoys. Lovers obviously didn't allow the gloomy weather rain on their parade. Don't get me wrong here ladies and gentlemen, I still believe that Love is a many splendored thing, that to love and be loved in return is priceless. Perhaps, in the coming February 14s I will again wear my stilletos and glow with love. I'm waiting to be found by a man who has the strength of character to look beyond my being a solo parent and see my limitless possibilities (naks!). For now though I only have my eyes for my daughter and find sheer delight in her hugs and wet kisses for Mama.  Ignoring things like Valentine's Day has certainly helped me find inner peace.

And I have my heart and my date shoes neatly tucked in a box.