Valentine's Day

While philosophers and poets much more learned than I have attempted to define love, I will leave that to them and instead ponder on this "day of love". Or so Hallmark, Proflowers, and Kay jewelers would have you believe. It's not that I don't like Valentine's day. I enjoy the color red and all its cousins, and paper doilies and homemade hearts are always fun to see. But the idea of one day in the year for all this outpouring is a bit contrived to me. Personally I would like to see a little outpouring on a daily basis. A kind word, a genuine smile, a spontaneous hug or kiss. Those to me are the real gestures of love. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy chocolate and red roses, but I might enjoy them even more if they were "just because". Of course, there are other ways that love is shown: a cleaned car, a cooked meal, time away by myself, and those are appreciated, too. So, on this day that's marked for love, I'm going to continue showing that daily love and appreciate the ways it's shown to me. Let's all try that and maybe each day could be a bit more love-ly. ♥