Mark Stoller moved to Falcon in 2007.†He and his wife, Andra, both U.S. Air Force veterans, enjoy life with their daughters, extended family and adopted rescue dogs in Latigo. Mark savors the privilege of his wife and daughters being his muse for topics, people to meet and places to investigate.
… (Picks flower petal) ìShe loves me not.î (Picks flower petal) ìShe loves me.î (Sees one flower petal left.) Looks around and throws whatís left of the flower into a nearby bush.Itís February and time for Valentineís Day. On the other hand, if the New Yearís Eve hookup has crashed and burned or good love is hard to find, it could be Singleís Appreciation Day.Flowers, cards, chocolate, jewelry, St Valentine and Cupid comprise the annual Feb. 14 celebration. Over the years, I have always participated in Valentineís Day whether it was little cards for my classmates in grade school or heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Andra and our daughters.Why do we do it?Apparently, western civilization has recognized Valentineís Day since the Middle Ages, and there are many versions of how the day came to be observed. The known facts are that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and St. Valentineís Day is influenced by both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.My favorite version of the story, from history.com, is that the Catholic saint known as Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons and torture.According to the legend, ìÖ an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl ó possibly his jailorís daughterówho visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed ìFrom your Valentine,î an expression that is still in use today.îAlthough the truth remains a mystery, the stories all feature Valentine as a sympathetic, heroic and romantic figure.By the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. Printing capabilities improved around 1900 and mass production of cards soon replaced written letters. Ready-made cards were an easy way for stoic people to express their emotions.Now how about Cupid? According to Time magazine, the original Cupid was more of a heartthrob than a cherub. Traced back to 700 BC, this character of legend was called Eros: the Greek word for ìdesire.î He was the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and would mischievously play with the hearts of mortals and gods to be entertained by the chaos. Depicted as a young man in his late teens, he was considered both handsome and threatening, as he would use his power to make people fall in love.When the Roman era began (27 BC ñ 476 AD), much of this Greek mythology was adopted by the Romans who chose to envision Eros as a cute little kid. They named him Cupid, a synonym for Eros, that also translates to ìdesire.î By the turn of the 19th century, Cupid had become linked to the holiday for his love-creating abilities.Conversely, for the single folks out there, itís possible the excessive hype about Valentineís Day could lead to feelings of brokenness if they arenít in a relationship.The Lifehack author, Arvind Devalia, writes, ìMany single people wait until they are in a relationship to live the kind of life they want and do the things they love to do. Lifehack, according to Webster, means usually simple and clever tips or techniques for accomplishing some familiar task more easily and efficiently.If you choose to be single or if you are in between relationships, rather than getting hung up over not being with someone, focus on what you have right now and on creating a terrific single life.You can choose to be happy, with or without a partner. Most importantly, remember what really matters all year around, and not just on Valentineís Day, is ó love.
