Things to be in love with

Valentines day can be a difficult one if you don’t have a straight forward romantic love to celebrate. Valentine’s day can make you forget about the existence of love outside of romance. But valentines day should be reclaimed as a way to celebrate love in all of its forms.

Valentines as a time to celebrate the kindness you’ve learnt to show yourself. Valentines as a way to celebrate the way your flatmates always remember how much milk you take in your tea. Valentines as a celebration of community.

There is so much in the world to be in love with. The way the sun looks through your window in the morning, the quiet happiness that a cool breeze can bring, the beauty of good food and good booze.

I love when I’m at a panel or event and somebody asks ‘not a question more of a comment really' and gets shut down by a moderator.

I love when I try a new snack and the snack turns out to be good and I love when I see dogs in snow boots.

I love the friends who text me hideous photos of grotesque masks with the caption ‘you' and I have nothing but love for my friends who text me just to say hello.

I’m in love with adventure and I’m in love with familiarity. I love getting home after a long trip and sitting on my sofa.

I’m in love with trying and failing, and I’m in love with the scars that failure provides. I love resilience and I love pin ball machines.

And romantic love is fantastic and I’m in love with love, but I’m not in love with the expectations of others around our romantic timelines.

I am in love with the heroes of history who fought for equality and I’m in love with the smell of lavender. I quite liked the Netflix show ‘Love' and I love the Amazon Prime show ‘Modern Love’.

I love the specific way New Yorkers get angry about minor inconveniences. I’m in love with getting on a long haul flight and theres a movie you’ve wanted to see for ages included in the in flight entertainment. I love that.

I love bread.

I’m in love with passionate poetry about love and passionate songs about heartbreak. I love butterflies in my tummy and I love the feeling of home.

I love the times I’ve been in love and I love the idea I will again, but for right now I have plenty of other things to fill my heart.

Valentines day as a way to love broader, to love bolder, and to love stranger. Valentines day as a day to be kind. Valentines day as a day of, not for, loving.