Love ballads, a hint of cynicism and candy cravings are in the air this week as we prepare our Valentine’s Day issue. In the spirit of the holiday of love “” and candy “” we decided to stick to that theme in the editorial. The opinion section, like life, is like a box of chocolates “” you never know what you’re going to get.

Sometimes we get columns like the classic, reliable caramel-filled chocolates that everyone enjoys. These are relatable, humorous or topical to the current events of the week.

Sometimes we get the cherry cordial flavor of columns. Most think it tastes like chocolate-covered cough medicine, but it appeals to a niche group of the community. Even though nine out of 10 chocolate consumers would spit these candies out as soon as they bite into the syrupy center and realize what a horrible mistake they’ve made, we keep them in our assorted box because we want to be a box that includes the contributions and voices of all chocolates columnists.

Every now and then, we get the chocolate truffle columns. These are the most rare. You’ll start reading each and every column in the section “” like biting into all of the candies in the box “” with hopes that there is some chance that you will come across another truffle. Last week’s piece by David Rando was one of these gems that we savored. It left us craving more.

The beauty of never knowing what you’re going to get is that you might unexpectedly bite into a new flavor, or learn about a new perspective that you had never considered, which might lead you to come to discover that you love it.