It’s Valentine’s Day in the US, a holiday to celebrate love. Yet, as with most things American, it has become so commercialized that for many it’s a holiday of anxiety and angst. For some it’s a reminder of what’s missing in their lives, for others it’s a test to prove how much you love your mate based on what you buy.
Fortunately, Valentine’s Day is not a huge deal in our house. We usually celebrate quietly and simply at home. My husband usually gets me a card and roses (from the grocery store where they are just as beautiful and more reasonably priced than the florist). I usually get him cologne. We usually figure out what we’re having for dinner when we get home that night and it’s not anything fancy.
Today, however, my husband spent the day in bed. Alone. Sick and miserable, body aching and head pounding. We spent the dinner hour at the urgent care facility finding out that he has bronchitis.We had cold carry-out food when we got home. He didn’t get to the store to buy flowers or a card as he had planned, and the cologne I ordered last week hadn’t arrived by today.
Still, it was a day of celebrating love, just like every other day. That’s what I’m appreciating about Valentine’s Day this year – the recognition that love is so abundant in my life on a daily basis. I had an incredible day at work with wonderful, positive, appreciative people; a stimulating, creative, juices-flowing work session with my Cool Blue Souls colleague Rus Vanwestervelt. When I came home, my older son was tutoring his younger brother Liam and putting the finishing touches on a brand-spanking-new super-fast computer he built for me. The staff at the urgent care was friendly and the waiting room was empty when we got there. My husband was too sick to feed the horses, so Liam cheerfully helped me do it after dinner and lingered to pet the pony and enjoy the mild weather. Love was everywhere and in everything that happened today.
We don’t need flowers, chocolate, or cologne to celebrate love. Love is compassion, kindness, and affection in small, simple moments every day. Philosopher Gottfried Leibniz said that love is “to be delighted by the happiness of another.” I wish you happiness and love, on Valentine’s Day and every day.