Besides the now-overused trope about Valentine’s Day being a capitalist ploy to somehow take all your money through the way of flowers and chocolates, how do you feel about February 14th being a day centered around love? I think in today’s climate, an increase in love should be the least of our worries.
Whether you spent the day doing face masks and making strawberry shortcake with your boyfriend of a year and a half (what my best friend did), grilled steak and shrimp at home (what my parents did to celebrate their engagement 27 years ago), or went out to eat cheap Chinese food after work with a coworker friend (what I did), I hope you spent the weekend in love. “In love” can imply love of the most apparent romantic kind, but it can also mean in love with anything that makes you feel over-the-moon with happiness. For example, I’m obsessed with my friends. I sent one of my best friends a message just last night that read, “This is a reminder that you’re so hardworking and smart and amazing and omg I love you.” Sometimes, you just gotta let ‘em know. I’m also in love with my cat, which was emphasized by the picture my mom just sent me of him and I had to express my love for how green his eyes are and how cute his nose is. Love is about finding those people or cats, in my case, that makes you smile just from the thought of them.
If you didn’t have the best Valentine’s Day, I can only hope the rest of this week will bring you clarity and warmth in small ways that make you happy--like a barista pronouncing your name right or the stop light turning green right when you need it to so you won’t be late for work. Learn to fall in love with yourself and the world around you, which is easier said than done. For me, changing my attitude to be more attentive to little things like a sunny day after a week of rain made it simple to fall in love with the world around me. My suggestions are to be more mindful, take care of yourself so you’ll be better at taking care of others, and listen to some love songs to see what comes to mind when you listen to them. The last thing has helped me to figure out I can dedicate songs to my love for skincare, NYC, my family, my friends, and even myself. What do you love? Here’s a suggested playlist to help you figure it out:
I Heard Your Name - Martin Rev
So Into You - Atlanta Rhythm Section
Mystery of Love - Sufjan Stevens
I’ll Be Your Mirror - The Velvet Underground & Nico
And It Stoned Me - Van Morrison