Valentine's Day

We shouldn’t need a holiday to celebrate love. Should we? Love is something we should be showing to our significant other, children, extended family, friends, and—yes—even strangers on a daily basis. For some of those mentioned (i.e., strangers and even sometimes friends), I am not talking about throwing your arms around them and offering up kisses or other acts of physical affection. In most instances, that would be highly inappropriate. Rather, I mean a universal kind of love. For love is not strictly defined by deep emotions, attachment, devotion, or even lust. As a matter of fact, Webster’s New World Dictionary gives one definition as:

love (luv) n. a feeling of brotherhood [and I might add sisterhood to bring the entry into the 21st Century] and good will toward other people.

So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, remember to tell people you love them on days other than February 14th; hold the door open for a stranger; say a kind word when you would otherwise make a snide comment or sarcastic remark. Our world will a little bit better because of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

In honor of the day, here are some resources to spark loving feelings:

Poems:
Shakespeare’s 18th Sonnet
Love’s Philosophy by Shelley
i carry your heart with me by cummings
She Walks in Beauty Like the Night by Byron

Songs:
Valentine by Martina McBride
My Funny Valentine by Frank Sinatra
Valentine’s Day by Linkin Park
Happy Valentine’s Day by Outkast

Books:
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff
Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich
Love Poems by Women edited by Wendy Mulford

Acts of Kindness:
Open a door for someone (and keep it open until they walk through)
Refrain from cutting someone off in traffic (even better, don’t use the finger)
Buy a cup of coffee (or tea) for someone
Say something nice
Keep sarcasm in your head
Smile