Love it or hate it, most of us can’t get away from Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re the person waiting at the store at 8pm, getting that last bunch of sad flowers or the one who goes all out with rose petals on the bed, February 14th is pretty much impossible to avoid.
For me, today is all about the love!
I’m a big fan of all celebrations, the cheesier the better, but I always look for a way to make the day memorable without wrecking my already pretty light impact on this big old earth of ours (coming soon to this blog: how to live and work ethically).
So, today, think about what you can do for someone else, who you can show some love to.
You don’t have to give anything tacky, just use your words.
Write that letter to your relative that you’ve been meaning to get around to.
Meet up with an old friend for a walk around your local park.
Tell someone close to you how much their support and friendship means to you.
Go and see an elderly neighbour for a chat and a cup of tea. Don’t know your neighbours? There are local charity schemes that match you with an older person in your neighbourhood. Take a look at Age UK’s website for their Befriending and Good Neighbour schemes.
These are all small gestures but they can mean a lot to someone else and you can feel positive about today without indulging in all the plastic heart nonsense.
As for me, I’m going to be walking around all day with a smile on my face (cheesemeister, I know!) and letting those close to me know just how much they mean to me.
What are you going to be doing for Valentine’s Day? Show me some love in the comments below.
Heart photo from CarbonNYC with Creative Commons
Love this post! Very good reminder that we don’t have to give into the shops’ marketing and buy any trinkets or “stuff” for Valentine’s. Words and genuine caring is much more important than a token “gift”.
In Finland they don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day as a lovers’ day. They have adopted the day into their culture as ‘Friendship Day’, and what they promote is much in line with the things you mention in your article.
I try to tell my friends every now and then how much I appreciate their support and friendship. (Often after a couple of glasses of wine, I have to admit!)
Hi Katariina, many thanks for your comment. I love the idea of a Friendship Day! Yes, genuine caring and telling your friends how much you appreciate their support will always go far, even if accompanied by wine! Cheers!
Hi Susan, well, I’ll kick off by saying that I love your byline, ‘Comms with a Conscience’. In four simple words it says everything about what you’re aiming to do. Lovely. So, Happy Valentine’s Day from an avowed Valentine’s Curmudgeon 😉
Hi Julie, many thanks for your thoughts and kind words. I hope your Valentine’s Day wasn’t too painful!