“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion… love actually is all around.” – Prime Minister, Love Actually

This is, by far, one of my favorite movies of all time. It does an excellent job of following eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives. IMDB defines the story line as the following, “The characters are falling in love, falling out of love, some are with right people, some are with the wrong people, some are looking to have an affair, some are in the period of mourning; a capsule summary of reality. Love begins and love ends. They flirt a lot. They are all flirting with love. At all ages and social levels, love is the theme. Romantic love and brotherly love is the hotchpotch through out the movie.”

It opens your eyes to the many levels of the word “love.” Today, being Valentine’s day and all, I was reminded of this film and pondered the definition of love quite a bit. Yes, to many it is a Hallmark holiday. And, yes, I feel that love should be shared with those you love every day of the year, not just one day. But, having one day when you share this love a little extra can’t hurt right? It reminds you that you can’t escape love. The card aisle of Walgreens, the commercials on tv, the Valentine’s Day episodes of your favorite sitcoms make sure that you don’t miss out on February 14th. So I’ve accepted that, and don’t see it as a day that makes a difference if I’m single or not. It doesn’t matter. Why? Because I am SO loved! By my family, my friends, my dog, my co-workers and possibly even by people I don’t know. I also love SO many people in this world more than I can ever explain to them.

So, for those of you that find this holiday silly and possibly even depressing, take a different perspective and be happy to know that we have a day dedicated to love instead of days dedicated to hate. Take the time to tell your loved ones that you love them and take today as a reminder of how important it is to be and feel loved, and take it with you ever day, sharing your love every chance you get. February 14th? Just another Tuesday this year? Nah, it’s more thought provoking than that. It’s a reminder that love actually is all around!

Happy Love Day Friends!

My favorite scene from the movie is linked to Hugh!