Looking at Valentine’s Day through the lens of a lifetime

Forget your dancing shoes.
Remember your walking stick.

Romance is a dance of passion
choreographed by the capricious emotions
of desire.

But lasting love is a daily walk
where the talk of commitment
makes steady progress
toward the destination of a lifetime.

It’s an adventure trek into tomorrow
where the surprises you encounter
beyond the bend
are both a shared and priceless prize.

It’s a hike on a mountain path
that encompasses breathtaking vistas,
valleys of disappointment
and fog-shrouded plateaus
where companionship
doubles your joy
and divides your sorrow.

It’s a slow-motion shuffle
when, as an elderly couple,
you hold hands
(having held true to your word)
and whisper to each other,
“After all these years I still do!”

It’s a lonely stroll
down a quiet corridor
that leads you to a certain room
where one connected to monitors and tubes
still recognizes your voice
and smiles as you ask
“Will you be my valentine?”

Don’t settle for the fleeting dance of romance.
Make your relationship a walk to remember.