In honor of our anti-Valentine's Day-themed issue, in which Volcano staff wrote bitterly about the woes of dating, love and relationships, I have decided to be anti-anti and write about the positivity of love. To be specific - to observe the random acts of love that surround us at any given moment.

To conduct my research, I decided to spend some time at Café Love in downtown Olympia, a place named for that emotion that runs deep in us all.

The first act of love I witnessed was the Parking Ticket Mobile, on which owner and patrons have decided to counter the force of the negativity of parking tickets (which usually causes cussing, tire kicking and ilk) and write messages of love instead. The tickets are then placed on display for all to smile at.

"Please sir, May I have another?" says one. "Support Oly, get a Love Ticket," reads another.

The next act featured a young couple that came in and pawed over each other the whole time. While they waited for their mochas, they must have smooched a dozen times. And they carried around a stuffed panda with a heart tag attached. Cute.

Another observation was the acts of love between strangers. People held the door open for each other, and they said their "pleases" and "thank yous."

After I shared these observances with Café Love's owner/barista, Martin Borcherding (the most eligible bachelor in Olympia, he half-jokingly asked me to add), he shared his own accounts of witnessing love.

He shared how the café practices the act of paying it forward. For instance, if someone orders coffee for $2 more, he or she is able to buy a 16-oz Americano for those in need. "Suspended coffee" is what the practice is called, and many people take advantage of the opportunity, not only to share the love, but also to come in and warm up courtesy of the kindness of strangers.

Borcherding said he's also seen plenty of first dates, and even a marriage proposal. Local musicians and artists share their labors of love at the café as well, and love connections have even been made.

"I see acts of love all the time," Borcherding said. "It renews my faith daily."

So the next time you get the blues about love, take a few minutes to observe your community - open your eyes to the love around you and appreciate the magic that happens in everyday existence. There are lots of different types of love; it doesn't have to be crass, or Hallmark or lasting. Love can just be.

Writer's note: I totally got a parking ticket after all this. Instead of being pissed, I just wrote "Fucking Irony" on the bright yellow ticket and added it to the Love Mobile, a smile on my face the whole time.

CAFÉ LOVE, 205 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.1434

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