Beautiful, and still there is something special about romantic love, the desire to connect and commit that just opens my heart to breaking over and over again.

Awww... but see, that's like saying we don't need a Thanksgiving Day to be thankful, Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ, Mother and Father's Day to honour our parents, etc.

Valentines Day is a celebration of love! And yes, we can (and should) celebrate love every day... but having a special day to declare our love, reaffirm and reconnect - what's not to love about that!

That's a lovely poem... I love the message.

Is anyone familiar with Ze Frank? He has a video about Valentine's Day in which he likens it to "Have a Good Idea Day" as well as some amusing comments on how Valentine's Day is the opposite of Christmas.

I'm alright with non-corporate Valentine's Day. As in, stay at home a cook dinner, make your own cards, etc. It satisfies the part of me that feels that Valentine's is a Hallmark holiday.

A thought:

The problem with making one big huge day to "celebrate love" has two downsides:

1. If you're in a couple, you suddenly now have all this pressure to try to schedule an expression of affection. Personally, I find the spontaneous expressions much more heartfelt.

2. If you're single (like me), Valentine's Day is ANNOYING AS ALL BLOODY HELL, because it emphasizes everyone around you who's NOT single and they're all so couple-y. If you're feeling a little insecure about your single status it's just depressing, and if you're NOT feeling insecure about your single status it's still damn blasted annoying.

...I thinK I need to go listen to "Love Stinks" or something. This was a bit harsher than I thought it'd be. (slinks off)

All too often the chocolate, flowers and cards of love are not backed up by a true expression of caring. I can give chocolate, flowers and cards to anyone, whether I love them or not. It's the expression of love, the actually walking the talk, that expresses love. Like the late night rescues when we are sick, the extra hand in the yard or home, the invitations to dinner when we've had a rough time, the open ears to hear our worries, the support during rough weather. These show love far more clearly than a box of chocolate.

Me, I just wish someone would give me a Valentine any day of the year. :(

My idea of celebrating holidays changed dramatically when I worked with a large number of Mexican immigrants. I was stunned at how many holidays they had and the elaborate celebrations. I realized that these were the highlights to a largely subsistence living.

I make sure my husband knows daily that I love him and that I think he is amazing. But today we have an increased focus on the display of affection.

BTW empress: before I met my husband, I hated Valentines day too (a toss up with it and New Years).

Love the potato photo. I'm so jealous.

I have a grade-school view of Valentine's Day: I want to share cheer and chocolate and treats with my friends and family, to take a moment to say, "Hey, I love you! Yeah, you!"

I agree that it's silly to put pressure on ourselves to make it OMG PERFECT ROMANTIC DAY, and that it's dreadful to use one focused holiday expression as an excuse to forego spontaneous expressions of love throughout the year... but it needn't be like that.

Valentine's Day can be a spur to a sillier, or more lavish, or more thoughtfully constructed expression of affection than we might express on any given day.

The problem with Valentine's Day, as with most holidays, is the standardized expectations: roses, chocolate, and jewelry seem to be the current standards. That's just silly, unless you especially love roses, chocolate, and jewelry.

My partner and I have a Valentine's ritual: cuddle up on the living room floor with great homemade pizza and watch scary movies in the dark. No corporate guidance, no standardized expectations, no pressure. It's perfect for us, even when it's not perfect.

I enjoy giving love..receiving love.
Valentine's Day, any day.

Being love all year... how would that look?

--Helping someone pick up spilled groceries..
--Enjoying a friend's help to tape up my slashed car top
--Giving a friend a scarf of mine that she enjoys seeing..
--Appreciating the gift of someone who offers me their seat on the bus.
--A 5 year old sings and plays the guitar..I meet his eyes and we smile.

Please join me and add your favorite ways of being love.

Dana, the yellow and orange flowers were beautiful, why do you take them away? they were a perfect opener to affection and warmth.

it's just too easy and too predictable to say that each day should be/include a celebration of love. of course they should.

i grew up in a household that celebrated no holidays. i secretly envied my schoolmates' christmas presents and fun halloween costumes. as an adult, i've come to appreciate the notion that there is a specific day to celebrate romantic love (is it not one of life's great joys?), to revel in innocent mischief and trickery, to honor the woman that raised you, to share tokens of appreciation with loved ones, to be thankful for bounty and all that is good, to think about country, freedom, its responsibilities, bbq's and beer and firecrackers. these are wonderful (envy inducing, even!) rituals and traditions.

i can tell you from experience that not having a day marked to remember X or do Y in no way means that you become more mindful of X and Y. (or perhaps my spiritual development is particularly stunted. whatevs.) all i'm saying is that i think we can use the reminders.

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day just because it seems like many people view it as an obligation, not an opportunity to show their love. I hate the commercialization, the jewelry companies that try to convince you that the only way to show love is with overpriced crap . . . if it means something to you, then go for it, but I prefer to put my energy into showing love every day.

Phalene!
Happy St. Valentines Day!

xoxo

...Also, I love St. Valentines Day! It's a day for everyone you love and it's never felt any different if I didn't have a sweetheart. I like to send Valentines through the mail to all my friends and loved ones. Whether you make them or buy a pack of kid valentines, filling them out and sending them off sneak attack style is guaranteed to fill you with happiness. I grab hold of any reason to celebrate and never bother with if it's corporate or any such nonsense. Fun is free! Just bake up a treat and light some candles or draw someone a picture or write someone you care about a letter or treat yourself to a museum - whatever it is you like to do. A holiday is easy to make. Although I do admit Christmas can get a bit dicey stress-wise.

Oops, sorry for saying dislike of holidays is "nonsense". That's a bit rude. Also, Hafiz always blows me away. Thank you SO much for posting that poem. I promise the whole world this is my last post.

that is one of my favorite poems. thanks for posting it.

I'm another one that happily never got past the gradeschool philosophy of Valentine's Day. No expensive gifts and roses--at our household it's handmade cards, Valentine's Day paperware, frosting sugar cookies, and maybe a little chocolate.

Valentine's Day has become my favorite holiday--all fun with little effort, expense, or expectations and best of all, no stress!

I can see what people mean about we still have christmas etc, but my absolute favourite way of having a special occasion with my love is going away, or for a fancy meal-and Valentines Day is the worst day ever to go for a away or for a fancy meal.

The candlelit dinner at home we do most weeks-we did have a nice meal on the day but it wasn't because of the day. We did go for a country walk-but we do that most sundays. Plus, the 'stuff' available to buy is really really tacky. Plus, I think the fundamental thing about Valentines day (the 'anonymous' card getting a couple together) would be far more fun than couples who are already together spending silly amounts of money on each other.

Valentine's day is for celebrating love, chocolate and flowers. How can that be wrong? I agree, stay away from corporate junk but relax and enjoy it with your honey, friends or children. Plus it helps to get through a New England winter.

I gave him my heart and he gave me a potato. http://twitpic.com/slved