Photo by ArtsyBee, www.pixabay.com
Who loves Valentine’s Day? Whether single or coupled, and however much the grouches out there would decry it as abhorrent commercialism, Valentine’s Day is nevertheless an opportunity to invite a little more love into our lives, and to celebrate the love already present.
A Brit raised amongst Americans, my own experience of Valentine’s Day was confused from a young age. For the British the holiday is reserved for couple only, whereas my high school friends would claim it as an excuse to fill their friend’s lockers with little notes of appreciation, duly etched on heart-shaped pink construction paper… I loved this. The unembarrassed declarations of love from friends were welcome in my teenage world where social hierarchies and their constant adjustments were generally baffling to me… Sometimes the unsaid just needs to be said… ‘I appreciate you.’ ‘I like you.’ ‘I love you.’
These affirmations strengthen our relationships, our sense of belonging… Whatever the wording, however expressed, they all amount to the same thing, ‘I am glad you are in my life’. And being in each other’s lives is important. Frequent transition and difficult life circumstances can threaten or complicate our connectedness with each other… Affirmation is a great place to start in (re)building these connections and building belonging.
So whatever your love/hate relationship with Valentine’s Day, maybe this weekend is a chance to affirm and invest in relationships more broadly… maybe it’s not just for couples? 😉
How will I be spending mine? Giving my daughter a little booklet full of affirmations, A to Z 🙂 And a special dinner with my amazing sister. And the Terminator films… Obviously 😉
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