Valentine’s Day – A Celebration of the Heart

February 14th is Valentine’s Day … a day filled with chocolates, flowers, beautiful cards, dinner for two … what more could one ask for! A little less stress, perhaps? Valentine’s Day is all about Love and Romance, with a capitol “L” and a capitol “R”! It is also about our expectations … expectations that we have about ourselves, and about the significant other in our life.

Emotions run rampant on this day … the ads are out there to “Remember to buy her flowers!”, to “Give her the best chocolates in the world!”, to “Make reservations for a (very expensive!) dinner for two!” and, on your way to pick her up, “Stop by the snazziest jewelers around and pick her up a significant trinket!” No pressure here, eh!

There is a different kind of pressure in relationships that are just starting … or are just about to start. “Will he bring me flowers?” “Will he bring me candy?” “Will he take me out to dinner?” And the ultimate “Will he even show up!”

What can we do to make Valentine’s Day less stressful, more joyful, and a true celebration of the love that we have for one another? Stop, take a deep breath, and remember that Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love. Candy is nice. Flowers are nice. Dinner is nice. A small gift is nice. But this is really the commercial aspect of life. Where is the love?

One way of defining love is that you care enough for someone to put their needs before your own. How this reflects on Valentine’s Day is that you are looking for ways to show the other person how much they mean to you, rather than stressing out about what they are going to do, or not do, for you. So whether it is dinner reservations at their favorite restaurant, or a special dinner for two at home, the focus is on the preference of the other person. If you are giving them a gift … whether it be candy, flowers, jewelry, or something else that they would appreciate, make sure that it is just that … something that they will appreciate!

A walk in a park, or along an ocean shore, means more than any fancy plans that you could come up with. If you can, revisit the place where you met, or where you had your first date. Have the same meal that you had then. Make your partner feel treasured, and they will do the same for you!

If there is no “significant other” in your life, then make the choice to be good to yourself. Treat yourself as you would have another person treat you. Honor yourself … do whatever gives you your greatest joy … which may mean nachos and a good movie watched at home!

However you choose to celebrate this very special day, show your love with an open heart. Release any expectations, and you will find that what comes to you is much greater than anything that you have ever dreamt of!