In just two days it will be Valentine’s Day. Use this picture of a plate of heart-shaped cookies as your starting point and imagine who baked them. Who is the recipient?
Is this a romantic gift, a desperate or courageous declaration of love, an act of revenge, or something far more frightening?
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud.com to let me know. With your permission, I may publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
Today, to the satisfaction of card sellers and florists everywhere, is Valentine’s Day. This is the card I made for my husband of ten years (and friend for countless more).
Today, I invite you to write a love-letter not to the person you first loved, not to a parent, sibling, or even pet, but the object you first felt true, undying passion for, whether that’s a toy, book, or random item, such as, say, a particular sock. A friend of mine once harboured an unwavering loyalty towards her pyjama case. I myself was partial to a train set that thrilled me with its swooping hills that its interlocking parts allowed me to construct myself.
What first filled you with such delight?
Turn that devotion into a poem, letter or story that reflects the depths of your feelings, but hold one detail back – the word that explains exactly what the item you so adored was or is.
If you write or create something prompted by this, please send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud.com to let me know. With your permission, I’ll publish it on SkyLightRain.com.
Love, I’ve learnt, is a thing entirely separate to the expensive ideals showered upon us by the folks who make money from spinning aspirations. It may involved flowers or chocolates or even diamonds, but more crucial are the quirky day-to-day things that set your relationship on an isle of its own.
Finding love is about being in the right place at the right time and happening to look in the right direction.
Being in tune with a person and having your eccentricity celebrated; sharing a certain silliness you may prefer not to unveil in front of other so-called grown ups; feeling an intense happiness at coming home to a particular other all add up to keeping that love real.
However and whoever you love, give them a squeeze today to remind them.
Ever wondered why we celebrate St Valentine’s Day at this bleak and chilly time of year? I suspect it’s to give us an excuse to cuddle up and feel warm and loved.
Whether you have someone special in your life or not, I think we should forgo the fancy restaurants and expensive out-of-season flowers, and instead curl up in a cosy duvet and relish the pleasure of being snug.
Then unfurl, get dressed and head out into the brisk sunshine, enjoy the air on your face and the few brave blossoms appearing at your feet. And if that inspires a little bit of creativity, so much the better.