The Key

"Tell me the truth about love," W H Auden begged. And despite being rather ambivalent about the day and a little scornful of the commercialism, I can't help but admit that Valentine's Day makes me think about love.

I see devoted couples ignoring Valentine's Day or sending jokey cards; I see equally devoted couples using it as an opportunity to make romantic gestures. I see single people get upset about a lack of attention, or nonchalant about it, or relish their freedom from constraints or responsibility. People react to love, or the lack of it, in so many different ways. Me? I vary depending on which way the wind is blowing, I think!

So what is the truth about love? What is the key (see what I did there?) to the kind of connection that I believe most, if not all, of us crave?

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."