Make Your Valentine’s Day Something to LOVE
I am one of Valentine’s Day’s biggest fans. I absolutely love “love”. Being in love, loving things, seeing love around me—everything about love makes me feel warm and excited to be alive. Valentine’s Day is a celebration of all the loveable things in the world: fuzzy kittens, best friends, good books, world peace, etc. Regardless of the celebration of love itself, I am also a huge enthusiast of the color pink, and it just so happens that everything being sold in the stores right now is gloriously, overwhelmingly pink. Everything about the day seems to be geared specifically toward my interests, so it makes sense that I spend weeks sorting out themed events for when the day finally arrives.
Whether or not you’re like me and you love Valentine’s Day or you’re the opposite and you see it as another capitalist scam to sell chocolate and stuffed animals, we here at the Congo have a few recommendations and tips to make your Valentine’s Day something to LOVE.
1. Show some love to yourself!
There’s little more important than self-love and care, and there’s no better day to love yourself than on the day of love. You can show yourself some love in a lot of ways. For example, but not limited to:
Buy yourself a little treat. A coffee or pastry goes a long way in making yourself happy and cared for.
Spend some time doing a hobby you don’t usually get to. Personally, playing guitar and dancing for fun are some of the things I love to do that I don’t get to do very much with my busy schedule. Think about things you wish you could do more, and spend some time on them.
Practice self-care. Spend a couple of extra minutes on your hair, use your favorite lotion, or use that new perfume or nail polish you haven’t gotten to try yet. A fresh look is a great way of showing yourself some love.
2. Spend time with people (or pets) that you love.
This is easier said than done. Most people who are in relationships prefer to spend their Valentine’s Day with their significant other. If that’s you, I hope you have dinner or something equally as romantic planned with your significant other! If you, like so many of us, haven’t found that special someone yet, you might feel as if you’re alone in the world on Valentine’s Day. Here are some tips to find your people on this special day:
Identify who among your friends might be alone on Valentine’s Day. See if they’d like to hang out. If there’s more than one, plan a group event! Have a fun candy-making party with chocolate-covered strawberries and heart candies. It’s tempting to hang out on your own for Valentine’s Day if you’re single, but remember there are plenty of types of love in the world.
Find a furry friend to spend some time with. My cat, Chai, is one of the most important things in my life, but I feel I don’t get to spend a lot of time with him. Valentine’s Day is the purrfect time to make new memories with your pets.
Your coupled friends won’t be busy all day long. If your loved ones are in relationships, but you’d love to spend some time with them, see if they’d consider getting lunch with you or doing and afternoon activity. A day is twenty-four hours after all.
We at the Congo recognize all the different types of love in the world, and we understand that everyone expresses their love for others differently. We hope that your Valentine’s Day is full of the love you put out in the world and that you receive your energy twice fold. On this day of love, remember all the beautiful things that make up your life and all the love that pours from every kindness, flower, and smile.