Love that lasts beyond February

February is the month of love, and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. There’s no doubt that the world loves lovers, and this is the season of roses, candlelit dinners, and often, handwritten notes. But it makes me think always — how much of this is love, and how much is just the thrill of the moment?

Haven’t we all felt it, at some point of time? That sudden spark, that quiet connection, the spur of the moment — that this is the person meant for us? It feels like a film scene, with music playing in the background, hearts racing, and the universe conspiring. As if for a moment nothing else matters. But then, the music fades… and so do many things we thought would last. Because love at first sight, as magical as it seems, may not be love at all.

Love isn’t about losing yourself in a moment. It’s about holding on, showing up, and keeping your word.

I remember a childhood friend who once made me promise that I would wait for her letters every week. This is after she moved away to a different country. I nodded eagerly, believing with all my heart that they would come. But weeks passed, life happened, and the letters never arrived. She never said a word, but years later, when we met again, I could see the quiet guilt in her eyes. So a promise not kept is love not honoured. Love isn’t just about saying I will — it’s about doing it. Action speaks louder than words, though sounds cliche, is the truth.

These days, love often feels like a performance. Many couples, for the sake of society, declare their love in social media posts.You will often find them sharing carefully posed pictures with captions like “My husband is my rock,” or “My wife completes me,” and so on and on. But love isn’t about what we say — it’s about what we truly feel, in those quiet moments, when no one is watching. Perhaps love, or the lack of it, is something we understand best in the silences we don’t put into words.

Often we say we have “fallen” in love. Why fall? Why not rise? I once asked an elderly couple at a family gathering how they had stayed together for fifty long years. The husband, with a twinkle in his eye, said, “We never fell in love. We grew into it.” And that stayed with me.

To grow in love means to lift each other, not lose ourselves. It means mutual respect — whether it’s for a partner, a friend, a sibling, or a colleague. It’s in the small things: remembering to check on a friend, standing up for someone when it matters, listening when words are not enough or simply keeping a promise. These things are priceless; money can’t buy or replace them.

Candlelight dinners are beautiful, but so is sitting quietly with someone who understands your silence. Love isn’t just about the grand moments. It’s about the quiet, steady ones — the little promises kept, the respect given, and the care that lasts beyond February.

So let’s not fall. Let’s rise.