Four Valentine Dates

February 14, 2012— I woke up to the prodding of my Dad inviting me out for a morning jog. I looked at my cellphone. It was 5:04 in the morning. No text messages. "Well this needs getting used to," I told myself. As I rid my eyes of its crusty morning glory, it occurred to me with all its devastating finality: I'm obviously single, and there isn't any way that I could reverse my status within the next 18 hours and 56 minutes just to fulfill the supposed essence of this accursed day.

“Are you coming or what?” My Dad hollered from downstairs. I stretched out and wriggled through a big pile of blankets and with a rush of energy finally got out of my bed.

So I went on to my first date for this day: an exhausting 8-kilometer run with my Dad, who could not hide his smugness over the fact that he successfully dragged me out of bed to join this calorie-consuming trip of his.

The rest of the day passed in terrible protraction. As I sat there in the faculty room, waiting for something miraculous to happen, I would look at my phone time and again just to check out if someone special would send me something that would top the cheesy Valentine's Day messages that I've been used to receiving for the past four years. I probably expected too much. Everytime my phone would beep, it’s just the same old generic message that probably a hundred other people have read a few seconds before and after I did (that is, with an exception to someone who went through the trouble of sending me a personalized Valentine’s Day greeting. Thanks for making me smile. You know who you are.).

Strangely, by late in the afternoon, the school was already almost empty. My fellow teachers tagged me along to join this pro-life rally procession that the students are attending. I willingly obliged, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to support such a noble cause. When we finally reached the assembly place, I was a bit dazed. The whole thing turned out to be a large conglomeration of Catholic schools from within Metro Vigan that strongly opposes the RH bill. Being lukewarm on the issue, I felt totally awkward being with the presence of all these “Lagman-hating” people. I wasn’t really an advocate of the anti-RH bill move, and everyone else in the crowd just seemed pretty enthusiastic on the proposition. Not wanting to cause a commotion, I just tried to fit in, rationalizing that since I was invited to a “pro-life” procession, I would just treat it as such, and not the “anti-RH bill” rally that it turned out to be.

And that was my second date for the day: a gruelling 5 kilometer walk to show support to LIFE—its sanctity and its essence—despite everything that could be compromised by its looming inconveniences.

Not nearly close to what I believe in, but at least she
made the five-kilometer walk much less of a drag
than it should have been.

About three thousand students, teachers, nuns, and priests joined the
said event. Whew. Talk about being "in one accord".

The procession ended up in Plaza Burgos, where the stage was set-up to become an altar, much to my surprise. One date led to another, they said; and true enough, minutes after settling down, I was already communing with the Lord through the Holy Eucharist.

There I found myself praying, telling God all my misgivings, fears and problems for the past few days. It didn’t help that I was in the middle of a noisy plaza filled with hundreds of students from all the Catholic schools that participated, yet, somehow, despite the day going on in its usual dawdling pace, circumstances brought me to be back to His presence.

So who was my third date? God, of course; and at such an opportune moment too, just when I was about to cave in from all the pressures work has been putting unto me lately. I may not have some person to love me just right now, but I am put at ease by the thought of an overseer who gives us unparalleled love, far more than what humans can muster. What makes God a great date? He listens. Then again, He always does.

It was already twilight when the mass ended. I went home, thinking that three dates in a day was already enough. I’ve been through a lactic acid-inducing work-out early in the morning; some gut-busting march around Vigan City, and one and a half hour communal encounter with the Lord. What more could possibly be in store for me today?

Apparently, the universe conspired to make up for the lacking romantic Valentine’s dinner that I was so used to having these past four years. And guess what?

I had my fourth date with my family.

I actually qualify this portion more as a "food trip" than an actual date.
But don't mind if I dig in!

So much for the happy memories of being exclusively smitten to another person; this day reminded me that you don’t need to be in a relationship to celebrate Valentine’s Day full of genuine love.

There are so many other things to fall in love with: your leisure pursuits, your advocacies, your family, your God… Ah! You cannot fall short of things to give out your love to. Love is not to be defined within the narrow context of romantic relationships. Love is much more than that; and I tell you, I have given and received much more love during this Valentine’s than that of the past years combined.

Four dates in one Valentine’s Day. Hmm. Not bad.