Valentine's Day

I've searched around the internet but I still don't know the true meaning or reason why people celebrate Valentine's Day. There are various versions of stories mainly related to St Valentine or also known as St Valentino to some, back in the 3rd century of Rome.

Today, Valentine's Day is the day where tons of pressure will be built up for guys thinking of what to buy and what to do for their girlfriend on February 14 every year.

If you don’t perform up to their standard of expectation, they would probably say that you don’t love them.

Take a moment to digest. What is true love?

One of my favourite stories about Love comes from the book “Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?” by Ajahn Brahm

The story goes like this;

Ajahn Brahm was in his first year as a monk in northeast Thailand travelling in the back of the car with two other Western monks with Ajahn Chah. Ajahn Chah suddenly turned around and asked a young American novice monk sitting next to Ajahn Brahm and said to him “You are thinking about your girlfriend back in L.A.”

The American novice’s jaw dropped almost to the floor in surprise. Ajahn Chah had been reading his thoughts accurately. Ajahn Chah smiled and told him not to worry. The American novice was told that he could write a letter to her, ask her to send him something personal, something intimately connected to her, which he could bring it out wherever he misses her, to remind him of her.

“Is that allowable for a monk?” asked the novice in a surprised manner.

“Sure! You should ask her to send you a bottle of her shit. Whenever you miss her, you can bring out the bottle and open it”.

Well, Shit is something personal. When we express our love for our partner, don’t we say we love everything about them?

Take a break to digest it once again.