I love love. I was talking with someone the other day about the lyrics of that famous Beatles song that isn’t completely accurate (we need a couple things in addition to love), but I think there would be a big difference in our world if there was more love in it. I’m also a big holiday person. I love most of the holidays and the big and many ways that we celebrate them. I think my favorite has to be Christmas because we tend to celebrate it for at the very least a week on either side of the actual day, which works really well for my partner and I who both often work holidays, so we can still celebrate it with other people feeling equally as festive. But I do understand that all of these holidays are technically one day on the calendar (with the exception of some of the religious holidays which last longer than just one day). Yet I always hate going to the store the day after the holiday because everything from that holiday is packed up or pushed off to the side to make room for whatever holiday comes up next, even though it was just hours ago that we were celebrating, and just 24-48 hours earlier that we were preparing to celebrate. It’s so depressing and sad to see how quickly things can get pushed aside for what comes next.
Many of the emails and posts I read today that discussed Valentine’s Day emphasized the fact that it’s just one day. So if you hate it, it’s over quick, and even if you love it, you only have one day to worry about the pressure of getting it “right.” But especially when it comes to Valentine’s Day, I think we need to really consider if one day is enough or the answer to having healthy, happy relationships. Of course the answer is no, you can’t have a healthy relationship if you just work on or pay attention to it one day each year. I wish that we felt the same way about the end of Valentine’s Day as I do about the rush of stores to move on to the next big thing. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s important to look forward and work towards the future, but that doesn’t mean we have to rush or that we can’t sit in and appreciate the moment for a bit.
So whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not and while this day of love is almost done for another calendar year, I encourage you to not give up so easily on love and the role it can and should play in your life and in our world. I know I don’t want to be disappointed by my effort or lack thereof when it comes to love, or miss out on the many blessings that come along when you give love a priority spot in your life.