Oh no. It’s that time of year again. Overpriced roses. Chocolate temptations. Cheesy Hallmark cards. Restaurants with a forty-five minute wait, minimum.
You guessed it – it’s Valentine’s Day!
That one day each year that so many dread for various reasons. They think it’s over-commercialized. They don’t like the pressure they feel from the media or from their significant other. They’re single and feel sad watching all the couples on social media fill their feeds with sappy posts.
Some people refuse to even recognize Valentine’s Day because they think it’s a pointless holiday.
Guess what! They’re wrong. It’s actually not pointless. For as long as I can remember, with the exception of Christmas, Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday. I remember weeks before the holiday I would spend many hours designing the most elaborate cards for my loved ones, by using construction paper, gel pens and stickers.
I never viewed Valentine’s Day the way society has made it seem, or has tried to make us see it. Over the years, Valentine’s Day has turned into a day that’s only about romance, proposals, fancy dinner dates, expensive flowers, rich chocolate, and spending time with your significant other.
What I want to know though is what happened to Valentine’s Day being the simple and beautiful holiday that it was meant to be? What happened to handwritten cards that we give to our friends and loved ones? What happened to sending small reminders to our loved ones, saying “I love you”?
I hate the attitude that February 14 is only a holiday of romance. To me, February 14 is a holiday of love, and showing and telling those we love most that we love them. It’s also about handwritten notes that tell our friends, our family, and our significant others why they mean so much to us. And it’s about showing kindness to anyone and everyone, not just the people who are important to us.
Every year at this time, I always schedule as many Valentine’s Day celebrations with my friends as I can. And every year, Valentine’s Day ends up being one of the best days of the year for me.
Last Friday, one of my celebrations included a “Galentine’s Date” with a good friend of mine. It was one of the best Friday evenings I’ve had in a long time. The evening was filled with some great discussions, riding around in the car jamming to our favorite tunes, and great food and coffee. Oh, and artsy pictures in the bathroom.
This year I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to see Valentine’s Day in a new light.
If you don’t have a significant other, spend the day or evening talking and spending time with a good friend, or anyone you love. Do something that you love. No one said that you have to have a romantic partner to have a Valentine.
If you have a significant other, express your love for him or her. Write a special letter that expresses your feelings and celebrate the beautiful love that the two of you share.
Some may disagree with me and say that we should tell those we love that we love them EVERY day. I agree with that 100%, but how many of us do that? How many of us write our loved ones cards every day, or tell them every day why they mean so much to us? How many of us perform acts of kindness every day?
I challenge you do something different and exciting this year. Who knows. You may end up like me, and decide that Valentine’s Day has become one of your favorite holidays.
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