The only true adventure is waiting for you...

"We love because it's the only true adventure." - Nikki Giovanni

Love is the only true adventure.

Thank you Nikki Giovanni. That's a worthwhile thought this Valentine's Day season.

The roots of Valentine's Day are certainly deep in adventure. History has it that Valentine did actually exist. He was a priest during Roman times who married young couples in defiance of a ceaser. Emperor Claudius II decreed that young men could not get married so that they could concentrate on fighting instead of missing their wives back home.

Of course St. Valentine would have none of that and married them anyway in secret ceremonies.

When Valentine was discovered, he was sentenced to death. During his imprisonment, he fell in love with his jailer's daughter. On his execution date, Feb. 14, he signed his letter proclaiming his love, from her Valentine and hence, a tradition was born. That was around 270 A.D.

That's one legendary version of the holiday anyway. It's hard to figure out considering that their are least three Catholic saints with the Valentine name.

Another thought is that the Christian church co-opted a pagen Roman festival involving women's names being drawn from a lottery by eligible bacholers. The whole affair makes for some interesting reading. A pope declared Feb. 14 Valentine's Day circa 498 A.D.

As you can see, Valentine's Day has been around long before Hallmark, Hollywood and commercialization got ahold of it.

So go ahead. Express and proclaim your heart to another without fear that the entire holiday is just another made up marketing scheme on Feb. 14. It's not. People have been celebrating Valentine's Day for centuries.

Live the adventure that love has to offer.

Tell someone special you love them.

And make everyday an opportunity to be a valentine.



p.s.
you can get all the historical details of Valentine's Day here http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=882&display_order=1&mini_id=1084