Valentine’s Day used to bum me out, only because I was perpetually single. I used to be jealous of everyone else getting to spend that special day with their sweetheart. I thought one day, I’m going to celebrate it.
Now that I’ve been married for almost 14 years, I don’t give a hoot about Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating love. In fact, we need more of that. It can also be a good excuse to find the courage to let someone know how you feel about them. If that’s the case, tell them. Don’t wait! Life’s too short to keep it to yourself.
So, we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, because to us, every day is Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day places a lot of unnecessary expectations on each other. What other holiday can give you feelings of both anxiety and guilt? That’s how the commercials try and make you feel anyway. Heaven forbid you don’t find the right present. You’ll look like a real schmuck; including to family and friends. So, it’s more about maintaining a good image, than it is about what it should really be about, which is your love for each other.
Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be about stuff anyway. Presents don’t make you any more or any less loved. That’s what my wife and I have discovered. When we feel like doing something special for each other we do it. We don’t need to wait for a holiday to do that. Besides, it’s way more fun to surprise each other with thoughtful gestures throughout the year.
Don’t fall in the trap of believing you need to celebrate. You don’t need to. If Valentine’s Day is your thing, more power to you; just don’t forget the other 364 days of the year.
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