Valentine's day came and went.
Back in secondary school I remember how we would look forward to receiving our Valentine cards before the end of our last lesson. Vincent was the steward who used to come round with our cards and goodness if you did not receive a card at all, you would quietly leave the classroom hoping no-one would notice. For the more popular students, there was always a large stack of cards they would receive and their friends would crowd round them, hoping to read what had been written in the card and who it was from.
Fast forward to my twenties, one would hope for flowers, a box of chocs, and a beautifully written card. I remember once my boyfriend actually did buy me a bouquet of flowers only for him to come back home and tell me they got stolen whilst he was at the Lewisham shopping centre. I found it so ridiculous I just laughed the rest of the afternoon and he just reiterated that was why he never liked to buy flowers because he figured something like that could happen.
Now in my fifties and I wonder what the fuss was all about! Yes, it is lovely and touching to be remembered on Valentine's day but I think the consumerisim attached to the day makes it is so overrated. Strange thoughts for someone who is a hopeless romantic, I know but it is the truth. I prefer to show sisterly love, or what is known as 'philia' love especially to those who may be having a difficult time. After all in the bible it is said to "Love one's neighbour as oneself" Matthew 22:29
Having said that I did receive 2 beautiful bouquets of red roses.😇😇
I found this saying while ago and loved it: "God who is love is the definitive romantic...and he professes his love to us through countless 'ordinary' ways." Dana Ryan.
Here in Ghana, we dedicate the entire week to chocolate and call it chocolate week. About a decade ago, the then Tourism Minister, decided it would be a great idea not only to send chocolate to loved ones on Valentine's day but rather dedicate the entire week to chocolate. This is because we are the world's second producer of cocoa so the Minister saw it as an opportunity to promote our own cocoa products. All sorts of exhibitions and cooking competitions were held using cocoa as the main ingredient but eventually that also stopped when a new government came into power. There is still a lot we can do to promote our cocoa but that topic will be for another post.
