Heaven and Hell

I left for work before the post this morning so obviously I can’t comment on the stack of Valentine’s cards that will be waiting for me when I get home.

I did actually have a very amusing conversation on the phone yesterday about Valentine’s Day when I was changing my house insurance details. The woman at the call centre said “Have any of your other details changed? Are you still single?” and we then started a really funny conversation about how I would have been cut to the quick had she asked me that the following day (i.e. today) and we were both complaining that we thought it unlikely we would get any cards. We ended the conversation by saying we hoped each other would get many cards and bunches of flowers. It was a most bizarre conversation and I just hope she did also remember to change my address...

Actually I also had another really funny conversation yesterday evening. I was talking to my friend S on the phone and I was asking if he was sending his girlfriend a card. He said he was but thought he might have made a slight error in judgement.

He’d seen one card he liked but thought it might not be suitable and then another card he really liked and for some reason decided to buy them both. He did get a strange look from the woman in the shop. Anyway, for a reason he can no longer fathom he then sent one to her anonymously in the post, even disguising his handwriting, and will give the other one to her in person today. I tried to be reassuring but we did conclude that this was a somewhat dubious plan as there are so many ways it could go wrong. What if she doesn’t mention it or thinks it is from someone else? He was feeling a little apprehensive about today. Must find out what happened,

Anyway, I could write a suitably cynical post about the commercialism of the day or bemoan my singleness, but to be honest, to me it is just another day of the year and if I was with someone I would acknowledge the day, but it really is just another day.

However, I feel a few words on the matter may be in order and I shall therefore hand over to CS Lewis

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries... lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable... The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is hell.

I am not a cynic about love and relationships or the highs or the lows that go with them. I think relationships are a mighty fine thing (if you're with the right person) and are worth going through the tough stuff for. If you have cause to share the day with someone even vaguely significant, enjoy.