Hi all. I hope you are having a fantastic weekend. I’m super excited because I’m on my way to the Interior Design Show. The trade show always inspires me and gets my juices flowing . . . creatively. Considering all the things I have on the go right now, I need some inspiration!
Anyway, I have been doing my usual Internet crawl this morning and realized two things; 1) Time flies! I cannot believe it is the end of January already, and 2) Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching.
I’m going to share a little secret with you.
I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day. (Did a cupid somewhere die just now?)
Truthfully, I don’t “celebrate” Valentine’s day. Don’t get me wrong, as a child I loved giving and receiving cheesy valentine cards, the abundance of chocolate and even the little gifts my parents would give us. For me it was always an added bonus because my birthday is a couple days away, so it was a pre-cursor to the “big” event.
As I matured, however, Valentine’s day became less and less about showing love and affection and more about guilt, sadness and anger. Feeling hurt when you’re significant other didn’t do something memorable or angry if the gift was late or forgotten. Valentine’s Day became more about disappointment then happiness. As well, as I got older, my Valentine’s gift got looped into my birthday! People who have birthdays near Christmas can feel my pain . . .
Eventually it got me thinking, and I realized that I no longer wanted gifts or chocolates or cheesy valentine cards. Because if someone really loved me, they had 364 other days of the year to show it. A random bouquet of flowers from Elijah, on a random day, for no other reason then because he wanted to means so much more to me then a little teddy bear holding a heart on February 14th. Knowing that he bought it because he felt he had to takes all the romance out of receiving it. I don’t think that love should be isolated to one day. I understand the celebration part, but for me, everyday is a celebration.
I also understand that being in the internet marketing business means that I have to take advantage of Valentine’s Day and monetize it to bring in money. The internal conflict is raging! However, I know that there are men and women out there who look forward to it and who are very good at making the day special, and I am here to help them make that possible. I guess I’ve just been jaded.
Just food for thought. You know what would be really specially, springing your gift or surprise on your loved one a day or two before Valentine’s Day. Not only will it catch them off guard, and seeing that look of surprise on their face will be worth it.
Wow Veronica – that was pretty heavy… and reminded me of the things I “Used” to do with my wife all the time… but seem to have neglected lately, “Random Acts of Love”.
I guess your post just kicked me in the ass to reflect on what Love means… see, why did you do that! LOL / J/K
“Love is Not About Having What You Want… Its About Wanting what You Already Have!”
Note to self – get your wife a card tomorrow – and tell her to thank Veronica!
Happy Day!
.-= Mark – Niche Store Builder´s last blog ..9 Tools or WordPress Plugins Every Affiliate Needs! =-.
Mark, was it heavy? I didn’t mean to sound harsh, its just something that starts to bother me every year when the commercials for jewelry and flowers start. I obviously do not speak for all women, but obligatory gifts don’t really appeal to me.
Everybody needs a kick in the pants sometimes, I’m glad I could be yours on this one. You never know when I’ll need mine. 🙂
@Mark – lol, wake up calls are always appreciated and I take them whenever I can. I like doing little things, like when I’m cooking, I’ll cut off a little piece of whatever (cheese usually) and give it to an unsuspecting Veronica. It’s a surprise because she wasn’t expecting it, and it’s awesome because it’s cheese and she knows that I was thinking about her. Random chocolate or chips always works too.
.-= Elijah´s last blog ..Sweet Valentine’s =-.