First off, I’d like to start today’s post by wishing every a Happy Valentine’s Day…I hope it was a good day for you. Personally, not my favorite Holiday, and I would feel bad…except I know plenty of people who aren’t a fan of this particular day…even happy couples. To be honest, I think I know more people who don’t care for this day, than I do people that actually look forward to it. Thinking about it… I can’t think of any one I know who actually looks forward to it. They tolerate it, but it isn’t their favorite. I wonder if it is a Holiday that has just become too hyped up. There is so much anxiety around this one day, what with commercials, and movies, and dinner dates, and other dates…so much is wrapped up into this one day of the year. I wonder if that’s why its so disliked. It used to be a time to celebrate love and romance, a time for couples to revel in how they feel about each other. (Yes, I know couples should do that anyway and not have to be told, but it’s like Christmas…people can, and do, give friends and family gifts for absolutely no reason, but Christmas is still the time for celebrating and gift giving). It was a day to enjoy love. It has become a fairly stressful day that is full of chocolates, roses, fancy meals, and (often) expensive gifts. Somehow, the gift has become a show of how much you care for the person, and the better the gift, the more you must care…and things that used to be little shows of affection (flowers, chocolates, etc.) are now required yet also inadequate, and have lost their meaning. The day is meant to enjoy your significant other and your love for each other, not to prove the depth of it. Say you and your spouse have very busy lives, maybe jobs with long and crazy hours, or family that always needs you, or situations that have you traveling away from each other a lot…this is a day that is meant for all other things to be put to the side, so you can remember why it is you care about that person, and to take time out of your crazy schedules to devote purely to each other. I know that it isn’t always easy, and in many cases, not actually possible, which happens…life happens…but Valentine’s Day is there to remind you to find time for each other, and to remind you that love is important and is something to be cherished, not taken for granted.