It’s that time of year—Cupid is sharpening his arrowheads and wrapping himself in his very best tunic. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we asked C-VILLE’s freelance writers to tell us about someone, something, anything that they love, in 100 words or less. We think their wide-ranging collection of answers will warm even the bitterest old heart.
Slip slidin’ away
We were two years into our marriage when my husband did something that, to me, demonstrated his love better than any gift, any grand gesture, any vow we’d taken. It was a random weeknight. We’d piled on the couch to watch the next episode in that week’s reality TV obsession (probably “Love Island,” if I’m honest), my legs precariously balanced across his. Without taking his eyes from the screen, he instinctively reached down and hooked his wrist around my ankles, which were slowly slipping their way off the sofa. “Did you just do that so my legs wouldn’t fall?” I asked him. “Yeah, of course,” he answered. It was so characteristically him—unfailingly kind, but modest. I knew I picked a good one.—Caite Hamilton
Early days
Some of my memories are so delicate that I keep them carefully tucked away in the back of my mind, as if they might yellow in the daylight of my attention. But occasionally, I recall the warm moments, between bathtime and bed each night, when with my still-wet hair crumpled between my cheek and your shoulder as you read aloud a chapter of a now-beloved book. Then I return the recollection to wait beside its soft-edged companions. I love you, Mom and Dad. —Julia Stumbaugh
Piling it on
An overstuffed sandwich perfectly toes the line between careful artistry and unrestrained indulgence. When a sandwich is so tall that it barely keeps itself from tipping over, when half of its contents fall out and must be eaten off the plate with a fork, when there are so many ingredients that each bite provides a completely different combination of flavors, when you open wide and think Shaggy would be proud—that’s hoagie heaven, and that’s love.—Will Ham
Silver screen
My love is cold in the summer and warm in the winter—the temperature lets you concentrate on one thing only. My love makes life’s stressors, absurdities, shame, worry, and problems fade; it focuses the light. People howl, scream, swipe at each other like animals, caress with aching care, part forever, endure birth, die gallantly and terribly. My love has velocity and slowness; it shows vivid pasts and lives not yet lived. Sometimes an answer, a mentor, the truth wafts toward me. Sometimes it allows me to turn my head and glimpse a loved one’s rapt profile, without fear of being seen. Plus: there’s buttered popcorn.—Mary Jane Gore
The one
It’s impossible to express the depths of my love for my wife in just a few words. Instead, let me tell you how well she loves those around her. Loyal and unwavering in her support, she is behind me in both the most mundane events and the craziest, most far-fetched schemes. She is the one who simultaneously keeps my head in the clouds and my feet firmly planted on the ground. Her goal in all she does is to bring better to others, to see them have more success, more joy, and more fellowship. She is a treasure and I love her with all my heart.—Paul Ting
Eating together
This is a love letter to the Charlottesville restaurant community: My dear, look at how far you’ve come in the last two years. You’ve weathered growth, change, and loss. Servers and cooks and restaurants themselves have come and gone. Yet as seasons, mandates, and costs change, you keep shifting to accommodate, all for the sake of your guests. You feed the community around you during the toughest of times, doing your best to stay alive. Know that I love you for your intimacy and your tenacity, from tiny lunch counters to huge kitchens. I love you in your rest, and when you’re crushing tickets. Keep pushing.—Chris Martin
Hard act to follow
There’s nothing quite like the gift of a big sister. To have a big sis is to have the blessing of a guide through life, a shoulder to lean on in the hard times, a companion for the joys, and a confidante for the secret struggles. Of course, it also means having the most intense rival in the world, both in matters trivial and tremendous—and loving her fiercely even still. I am blessed enough to call the object of my love, this and every Valentine’s Day, a person who epitomizes love and strength of spirit: my big sis and best friend, Samantha.—Kristin O’Donoghue
That warm and fuzzy feeling
Many emotions are hard. Joy, anger, uncertainty—putting these feelings into words is one of the more difficult experiences of being a human being, at least in my book. Love, though, is an easier one for me to identify. It’s the feeling of safety and comfort. Of someone or something totally understanding you in every way, even more than you understand yourself. It’s the desire to protect them and hold them tight because you never know when it might end. It’s laughter and joy but also anger and frustration. You feel it from your head down to your toes. It’s love.—Amelia Delphos
Just start listing
The smell of a salt marsh; horseshoe crabs; seahorses; chocolate chip cookies; autumn; croissants; ripe peaches; seeing my grandkids; coming home after seeing my grandkids; singing; reading on a rainy day; Jane Eyre, Harry Bosch, and Sherlock Holmes; going to the theater; duvets; the Great Mosque of Córdoba; the many kinds of fog; Winslow Homer’s watercolors; clean sheets; fireflies. Here’s an exercise: Complete the sentence “I love …” Don’t try to pick the top thing, or even the top five—just start listing. See what a wondrous place this world is? Aren’t you glad to be a part of it? Gratitude, not desire, is the ground of love.—Carol Diggs
