Don't wait for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, that day approached with expectations, delight and sometimes dismay, is soon upon us. I'm reminded of the mentor commercial on the radio where a young man is saying to himself, "What should I do? I'll take him to a movie, no! That's not big enough, I'll take him to a ball game, no! It's got to be big, really big!" Then the doorbell rings and a boy says, "Hi, I'm Jimmy. What do you want to do today?"
"What do you want to do?" asks the young man. "Well, I thought we could watch the game on tv," answers the boy. "Yeah, yeah, that's what I thought too." says the young man. Then the voice over says, "It doesn't have to be big. Just spend some time together, just be there; be a mentor." So maybe that is the way to celebrate. Just be there. Start now. If you don't have a beloved, love the ones your with, to re-coin a phrase.

Here is a partial letter John Keats wrote to his fiance, Fanny Browne. I can't think of a better example of a huge gift for the price of a pen and paper.

"My dear Girl, I love you ever and ever and without reserve. The more I have known you the more I have lov'd. ... You are always new. The last of your kisses was ever the sweetest; the last smile the brightest; the last movement the gracefullest. When you pass'd my window home yesterday, I was filled with as much admiration as if I had then seen you for the first time."

This, on the other hand, probably won't do.

Yesterday on the way home via dinghy, I was startled to see that a hillside near me had been stripped of most of its green, only a few trees remaining. I was mentally gnashing my teeth because that was the place where I'd encountered the magic stairs last year, a place of some wonder and joy, suddenly gone. The stairs are still there, surrounded by nakedness, bare and barren. There are light poles and diggings; it looks like a big development is going in, and going in quickly. But I tried to follow my own advice to others and took a deep breath, looking instead at the water and incredible wealth of visual joy literally surrounding me, and remembering that once I got to experience it beautifully. My reward? A huge turtle, its head and entire back above the surface, looking my way before plunging down out of sight. I'll try to hold on to the Lesson of the Turtle today and in the days to come, even while continuing to fight bad land clearing practices here...

Have a memorable Monday. Do something mesmerizing.