‘Love’ is an aphrodisiac! An emotion that is warm, fuzzy, happy and sometimes spell bound, making you cross mountains for that one you love. Every Valentine’s Day our eyes are flooded with the various romantic gestures of love shared between two individuals portrayed over social media platforms, magazines, movies and much more. Red hearts and strawberries dipped in chocolate are the first few things that come to mind at Valentine’s. The emotion is associated with the colour red. But why red? That’s because it symbolises ‘passion’, one of the strongest emotions that drives us to be who we are and who we aspire to be. From gifting bouquets of red roses and chocolates to romantic getaways. However, we forget to realise how we experience love in different ways, far and beyond the pretty red roses and heart shaped balloons.

Love is a deep emotion, deeper than any colour can depict or portray. We experience different kinds of emotions and connections with our friends, family and even our pets; without whom we feel our day would be incomplete or bland. Better known as ‘Agape’ which describes the love for all; is a feeling of love and compassion we have for the people around us and those we feel close to. It embodies the feelings of empathy, care and understanding for a friend, a relative and a fellow human. We are all wired to show acts of love in daily life. It could be as simple as making a cup of tea for someone after a long day of work. Self-love no doubt is a necessary part of our lives, but despite it we yearn to be loved and appreciated. Such simple acts of kindness certainly do help in making someone’s day.

Nevertheless, love is a two way street. No matter how much love we receive, it’s insufficient if it’s not reciprocated. As much as we yearn for love, we also desire to give love in the same measure we receive. After all, we were created to be social beings, not loners. We love being around company and in this modern day and age, we often love the company of our pets too. Most of us are away from home, embarking on our own journey to achieve that dream job or that esteemed degree. Whilst being on your own, we welcome to our homes these adorable animals who form one of the best companionships at such times. They are such affectionate and loving creatures, ready to love us unconditionally 24*7. After a long day at work we return to our homes and on hearing the barks or the meows of our pets instantly increases the levels of dopamine in our brains and not to forget, lowers our stress levels too. Increasing the happy factor in our lives. 

Well, the most obvious of all is the strong, passionate and enduring love, called the ‘Pragma’, which means long lasting love. This is the mature love we experience, which isn’t just a feeling but a decision to love someone through the highs and lows of life. Here, love shared between two individuals is pure and mature, beyond all bounds, as it lifts us up to be better versions of ourselves and drive each other to fulfil those long-cherished dreams. Who better to share life with that one who sees it through the same eyes we do but with more love than that we can offer ourselves at times.

This Valentine’s Day let’s celebrate the loved ones around us. Make them feel special for always lending a shoulder to lean on, going that extra mile to make our dreams come true or for simply making us smile. It’s these simple pure acts of love that make this world a better place.