Happy Valentine’s Day – and why can’t we show people we love them every day?

Hi everyone:

Friday afternoon here in Hamilton. I guess I am feeling creative because this will be my second blog entry today. This morning, I wrote one about respecting our differences and that instead of “trashing” those who hold a different view of the world to ours that we should embrace and reach out to them. You can read that one either by using the link at the top of this page, or by clicking here: Reaching Out to Others

But as I write this, I am also very mindful that tomorrow is February 14, 2015. You guessed it. Valentine’s Day is making its annual appearance. And that’s the subject of this blog entry. For several years now at this time of year, I have put a message on my LinkedIn Profile wishing all the women in my LI network a Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s meant to be something fun and light-hearted and every year my message has always been well received. I really appreciate the kind comments some of those women have chosen to offer me in return. This year, I expanded the concept to include similar messages both on my Facebook page as well as on my Twitter page. Again, nothing but positives and that’s great. Now I am adding another element by doing this with my blog. So to all the women out there who are reading this blog entry, let me wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. Just as I have noted in those other messages, I hope that each of you has a special someone to share the day with. Each of you is a special person and a gift to those who love and care for you. I hope you enjoy the day and the celebrations that go with it. You deserve it.

Now it would be very easy to leave the whole Valentine’s Day thing there. It’s fun to offer greetings as I did above and I trust that the women who just read my comments above will see it that way. But there is another angle that I want to explore and that I always add when I do those messages every February. I “get” the idea behind Valentine’s Day and why people like to set aside this one day every year to give lots of TLC to that special someone. Even if the cynic in me says that Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a big commercial racket designed to sell lots of chocolates, flowers, cards and related things. Not to mention that lots of restaurants, pubs and other eating establishments see an increase in their business every year. Hmm – have you booked your reservation for tomorrow night? Might be tough to get a table if you don’t. Before I go further, let’s do what they call “full disclosure”. I’m a single guy and I am happy to stay that way (although I do admit that I enjoy the company of women, and there are a few female friends that I enjoy giving “friendship” cards to on Valentine’s Day – I won’t name them but if you gals are reading this, you know who you are!), so for me February 14 is no different from any other day. But I do understand the basic premise behind it all. And if many of you reading this are indeed doing something special tomorrow, even if it’s just a little thing, I hope you have a wonderful day.

Having said all that, however, here’s a different spin for all of you to consider. Why can’t we make Valentine’s Day every day? Why don’t we tell those special people in our lives that we love them and our lives are so much better because of them every day? Do we really need to wait until February 14 each year? No. Any day can be the right day to show our love and appreciation to those special people. And it’s not just for our spouse or other special someone that we honour on Valentine’s Day. Let’s take some time every day to reach out to everyone who makes our lives better. So it’s not just our spouse. It could be our kids or another family member. A close friend. That colleague at work who walks in every morning with two coffees because they get one for you too. Someone who gives you a hug when you’re feeling down and you’re having one of those days. There are many more examples, of course, but you get the idea. Anyone who brings a ray of sunshine into our lives and makes our world that much better can be someone you can show some love and thanks to.

And I think those types of gestures count for a lot and should never be underestimated. After all, I wrote a blog earlier this morning about how we seem to delight in “trashing” people who hold a different opinion to ours. Let’s face it folks, the world can be a very cruel, dark and forbidding place. Especially when you consider that there are times when it seems that as human beings we are better at hurting people instead of helping them. Wouldn’t our world be a whole lot better if we spoke words of love? You can call it my “Valentine’s Day Challenge” or similar wording if you like, but if the spirit of Valentine’s Day could live all year round, wouldn’t we all feel better? Isn’t it better to walk around town with a smile on your face – especially because someone just told you that they love you and that their life is a million times better because you are in it? Or as Gene Kelly so famously put it in “Singin’ in the Rain”: “I walk down the lane with a happy refrain”? And wouldn’t you want to tell those same things back to them?

So how about it gang? Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. By all means treat that special someone to some TLC and show them how much they mean to you. Buy some flowers. Take them out to dinner. Do something really nice tomorrow and show that special someone that you really love them. But what happens on February 15? Or the other 363 days of each year. Why can’t we treat those special people in our lives with love and affection all year long? Do something special every day for the people who mean the most to you. It’s very much like the “pay it forward” idea, and in fact can supplement it. The “pay it forward” concept means that when someone does something nice for you, instead of repaying them for their kindness, do something nice for another person. It’s the same thing here. If we do nice things and show those in our lives how much we love them every day, and not just on February 14, I really think our world would be a much kinder and gentler place. Thanks for reading this blog entry – until next time!