#07: Everything is peaceful love
<3!
Earlier today, I was in a fancy coffee shop in Borough when an older, rich lady and her Cavapoo (wearing a nicer sweater than any I own) walked in. This isn’t the start of a joke even though I phrased it like this.
I’m in my own world writing and my original title for this post was ‘All you need is love’. She peers over, and points at my laptop: ‘It’s true actually, nothing is more true. All you need is love’.
She then started singing until her coffee order was ready and and says ‘au revoir’ to me, as she walked off with coffee and pastry in hand humming along.
I feel like I’m in the beginning of a rom com, as I often do.
It’s probably no surprise, but I’ve loved Valentines’ day ever since the day I learned about it in school. In fact, I remember receiving not one, but two (!) love letters in 2005 which was obviously a very big deal.
One of the letters was actually a poem, and though I didn’t save it, the last line read something like ‘Danielle, you are sweeter than a sweet shop’. The other letter was a little more generic, and said something about me being lovely and asking me to be their valentine. Ever since that day, I was obsessed with the concept of a whole day dedicated to love - and love in general. Buying flowers, writing letters, telling people how you feel!
Note: In writing this, I’m wondering if those letters I received were actually from my mum, but I sort of don’t want to know.
Speaking of Valentine’s day - when I was fourteen, I spent the day with my boyfriend at the time. We gave each other disgusting love bites the night before and our parent’s banned us from seeing each other, or anyone else for that matter.
I ended up covering my love bite with my mum’s 3 shades darker foundation and sneaking out to meet him at the beach where we shared a rotisserie chicken from Sainsbury’s (crazy).
We really thought were Bonnie and Clyde or something. We were not, and I was grounded for a week after that.
I’ve since heard the actual origin story of Valentine’s and realised it’s far less romantic…
Apparently the ancient Romans celebrated ‘The Feast of Lupercalia’ during the 13th-15th February. Google’s AI overview has described it as a ‘sexually charged festival’. Aren’t they all a little bit?
The Valentine’s day that we know now was named after one (or two) priests called Valentine, as they were martyred for holding secret marriage ceremonies. One of the Valentine’s in question ended up writing a letter to his jailer’s daughter who he befriended and signed it ‘from your Valentine’.
This year, I spent Valentine’s day at a friend’s house making cocktails, eating and playing never have I ever. All the girlie stuff. No disrespect to Leslie Knope, but the word ‘Galentine’s’ makes me feel queasy so I won’t be calling it that but you get the picture.
Though I really did have a lovely time, the day after I ended up tapping through what felt like endless Instagram stories. It’s basically an adult show and tell for all of the couples in love.
On Saturday, I was mildly hungover when the doorbell rang and for a moment there, I hoped I’d be receiving flowers and a cute-but-shit poem to save me from this post- Valentine’s day comedown.
But alas, it was just the postman, with post for my next door neighbours and a letter about tax 😔.
Whatever situation you’re in - I think it’s pretty normal to feel a little bit like you’re missing out on a big love on Valentine’s day.
There’s a quote in Amy Key’s Arrangements in Blue that I have to remember sometimes:
“When I paid attention to presence rather than absence, I found love was abundant, and this was transformative.”
If you know me personally at all, you may know I have been totally consumed and borderline obsessed with the best show on TV (Severance). I’ve locked in so much so that I’m even listening to the official podcast with Adam Scott and Ben Stiller.
FYI: this is a rare time I listen to male led podcasts, with the exception of Off Menu ofc.
Gwendoline Christie appeared on the show in S2 and so went on the podcast. She spoke a little about how her career wasn’t exactly banging before Game of Thrones.
This is paraphrased but she said something like this:
‘Things weren’t happening for me but when I was with my friends, I was a star - and I was so loved and adored that it didn’t really matter what happened outside of that’.
Last week, I put on a karaoke fundraiser in Shoreditch to raise some money for an abortion charity that I really like. A lot of my friends turned up to support, new friends came along too and we raised over £700 for the charity. I did a little speech at the beginning of the event, and all of my friends cheered like I was accepting an Oscar.
In recent months, I have felt unsure about what’s next for me. Career, dating and all the rest, but sometimes it doesn’t really matter- because with my loved ones, I too feel like a star. That’s the best kind of love.
