ON VALS DAY: 3 (simple) THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY

Everyone seems to be talking about love this week because, St. Valentine’s day. To say the least, I became slightly irritated by the fuss surrounding the celebrations. During my commute, I honestly got tired of seeing event posters for Vals day almost after every pole. And some had the most hilarious themes! I have to confess to not being such a huge fan of Vals day. I still find it a tad silly to wear (a touch of) red or go on some fancy date or buy a gift for my sweetheart all in the name of celebrating lovers’ day. What ever happened to the other 364 days in the year?

I admit though that the whole idea of a day dedicated to celebrating love isn’t totally lost on me. Because I know that life can get busy with deadlines to meet and goals to smash. And in the midst of all this, we need the subtle reminder that Val brings, to pause and intentionally appreciate the gift of loving and being loved in return. Well, every day can’t be Valentine’s day. And after the candle-lit dinners and rose flowers, life quickly returns to “normal” and love gradually takes the back burner. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are really easy ways we can show our loved ones how much we care about them everyday, and the good news is that these cost little or nothing.

Gratitude + Prayers

Have you ever felt truly grateful for the presence of a loved one in your life? Then, thank God for them whenever they pop up in your mind. Thanksgiving does two things for you. First it makes you conscious of the love you share and then takes your focus off the negatives in your relationship. With time, make it a habit to say a word of prayer or thanks for your loved ones as you go through the day.

Growing Intentionally

The quality of your relationship depends on how much you invest into it, and there’s no better place to start investing than in yourself. You can start with learning to love yourself as I shared in this post. Then, you can work at improving the way you handle conflict. These things can be achieved in small chunks, daily.

Giving…and receiving too

Love gives, but it doesn’t always have to involve money. While it may not be possible to have a date night every day, you can spare some time to listen to your loved one talk about the highs and lows of their day. You can also bless them with your words, reminding them how much of a priority they are to you.

Finally, here are three activities you can try today:

• Take five minutes to think about the things you’re grateful for in your relationship. Then, go ahead to say thanks. As a bonus, pray about a need your loved one may have.

• Write down that one goal that could improve your life. For example- eat healthy, work out, smile some more, reply messages, read a book etc.  Then, get to it…now.

• Call, or send a text message to your loved one. You can say something as simple as “I’m grateful our paths crossed, thank you for being here for me”

These simple things can have a tremendous effect on your life and relationships. And I’ll start by taking my own advice, haha.

How was Valentine’s day for you? Did you go on a date, or stay indoors like the rest of us?

Fae…xoxo

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