Ever since I was in college, I thought Valentines Day was nothing but a cruel torture for single people. A day when our sorry lack of couplehood was rubbed in our faces. If I didn’t have a date on Valentines Day, I felt like a big loser. And I knew I was a really good catch, so that made it all the more torturous. What was wrong with me, that I couldn’t even secure a simple Valentines Day date?

For years after college, I dated men who were all wrong for me, and every February 14th, I would try to manipulate one of them into giving me the perfect Valentine date. Of course, it never worked. Oh, sure, we had the reservations, the nice dinner, the fancy clothes – all the trappings of a happy couple in romantic bliss. The problem was, we weren’t happy, so it wasn’t romantic.

Then one day, I had an idea. What if I wasn’t the only one experiencing this terrible torture? What if there were other singles – people of all ages, backgrounds and lifestyles – who felt the very same way? What if I could transform Valentines Day for all of them – and for myself at the same time? What if Valentines Day is just about love, plain and simple? Not necessarily romantic love, not necessarily the perfect date, and not for couples only! I thought about the excitement of a “secret admirer” – something I’d always wanted to have. Maybe I could become a secret admirer – for everyone I meet – on one special day every year. How good would that feel!

And so, being the creative genius that I am, I got a bunch of scrap paper, cut it into three-inch squares, and drew a heart on each one with a red magic marker. On the other side of each square, I wrote the phrase “PASS IT ON…” with a black pen. I made a big stack of these, and then, on Valentines Day, I carried them around in my pocket, and handed them out to everyone I came into contact with. The bus driver, the old lady on the street, the bank teller, my friends and co-workers – everyone.

Wow – it was even better than I had imagined! People loved to get my valentines, and they loved to pass them on. I made it a Valentine tradition to do the same thing every year, and then one day, one of my valentines came back to me. I was working a temp job at a hospital, and I handed them out to the people in my department. Then at lunchtime, I made my way to the cafeteria, which was far away in another wing. Before I even had a chance to see it coming, someone handed me a card with a big smile on their face. It was great! They didn’t even know it was me that had started it – and I didn’t tell them either. I was truly a secret admirer, and now I had finally become the admiree. What a great feeling!

Nowadays, it has become my mission in life to spread love and make people happy. I don’t wait for Valentines Day anymore; I do it all the time. I call myself the Guerilla Love Warrior, practicing random acts of kindness, and running away with an ear-to-ear grin. I highly recommend this behavior. I’ve discovered that the best way to attract love is to be loving. Now I am married to the man of my dreams, and every day is like Valentines Day.

I wish you all a happy and loving February 14th, and every other day of the year.

Pass It On…

Copyright 2005 by Maura Leon