It’s that time of year again! Love is in the air and everything buds with romance. I love this holiday. Not so much the commercialization of it all but I love the hand written notes. Can we all just go back to that? I think it is the one time of year when people profess to each other how much they mean to one another. I love not only when someone says what they mean but when they also write it down. Maybe I am old fashioned but there is something to receiving a nice letter or card from someone you love, telling you how much you mean to them.
It is also the time of year when I hear friends and loved ones disappointed because their significant other didn’t do this or that for Valentine’s Day and how they are let down year after year.
My advice is stop with the expectations! If your sweetheart isn’t a romantic person don’t expect them to be. If you know they love you, then that is enough. If you want them to express it in different ways. Tell them how. They aren’t mind readers and honestly most people don’t know what you need to feel loved unless you tell them. If you never tell them they will always get it wrong.
I have learned over the years to take care of my own needs and to stop passing that responsibility on to someone else. If I feel like it is has been a hard week and I just need some beautiful flowers to cheer me up, I go buy me some! Don’t wait for someone else to come along and do that. You have to find value in yourself and take care of yourself. Whether it is treating yourself to a quiet dinner, flowers, or a movie. Do it. You don’t need someone else to do that stuff for you.
However, when you are in a relationship it is the day to day nice things that you do for each other that you need to be thankful for. Be aware of those things. Make note of it not just mentally but tell the other person how that made you feel and how grateful you are for those little gestures. Those little gestures are often taken for granted and seem to be just expected after time. Don’t let your sweetheart forget how much you need them and are thankful for them. For me I would rather have those sweet little things throughout the year than one day of forced romance.
So Happy Valentine’s Day to you! May it be filled with appreciation, kindness and love.
If you miss out on Valentine’s Day or don’t care for the commercialized holiday feel free to celebrate with me on February 15th when flowers and candy are 50% off! One of my favorite days to celebrate and splurge on myself.
