Giving Valentines Any Day

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I know a lot of people who do not like Valentine's Day.  They dread it.  If they are single they may think it is a day to point out that they don't have a "Valentine".  They watch others getting gifts (which might be being given more out of obligation than desire), and feel cheated, or passed over, or unloved, or hopeless.  It is sad.  I also know people who are grumpy at the obligation they feel to give a gift, or plan an activity for that day.  It maybe feels forced, and it seems to many that women benefit a lot more than men.

It would be good to keep in mind that no holiday (that I know of) was created, or is kept to make someone feel bad, or grumpy.  They are usually in place to help us remember something or someone important.  And there is more than one definition for a Valentine.  One, from the Mirriam-Webster dictionary is "something expressing uncritical praise or affection."  We can give uncritical praise and affection any day.

I think trying to give as much uncritical praise and affection as I can on Valentine's day sounds like a happy way to spend the day.  And I like that I have lots of days before Valentine's Day to practice!

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash