Carly Phillips | I’m A Romantic Are You?

I’m so happy to be back at Fresh Fiction for what has become my annual Valentine’s Day blog. This year, after listening to some comments on my Plotmonkeys Blog I realized more people than I would have thought were “done” with Valentine’s Day. From the comments, I gathered much of this “Ugh it’s just another day” theme comes from the commercialization of the holiday. And of the notion that if you’re really in love, you shouldn’t have to make a big show of that love on one stated day a year. To that I say, WHY NOT?

Sure, my husband and I say “I love you” many many times during the year, but I confess to being a romantic at heart. Hey, I write Romance. What can I say? I LOVE the idea of being showered by hearts and flowers and cards (even if said cards have become WAY to expensive, but so has everything else in the world!) I like to know I matter!

Now that said, I have a hubby who is not Mr. Romantic and as a result I’ve learned to work around this problem. And it’s a problem for all holidays, not just Valentine’s Day. He’ll remember the card and thanks to good training, he’ll often remember to send flowers. But I celebrate by buying gifts for my girls, and often something small for my husband AND FOR MYSELF FROM my husband, and let him know he’s gotten me a present. I make myself feel special with his gracious okay. I can do this because I KNOW he loves me – because I know him.

Which leads me to an important conclusion for all of you on this very commercialized, meant to make you feel special but can also make you feel bad and lonely – holiday. If you’re in a relationship and you don’t have a significant other who thinks to buy gifts or flowers, I suggest you think about all the other things that person does for you, ways they make you feel special (and this can even be as simple as their tone of voice when they’re telling you something important) – and know that the display itself doesn’t matter. It’s what’s in your partner’s heart that matters most.

And then – if you need a little pick me up – explain to them you GET their limitations, but you have needs too – and you’re going to buy yourself a little something from them (even if it’s an inexpensive chocolate bar!) – and celebrate knowing you’re loved.

And if you’re not in a relationship? Valentine’s Day is about LOVE – and you love yourself, don’t you? So do something nice for yourself too. (No, not a bag of chocolate to make yourself feel better in the short term – and full and fat in the long run) but a special treat to celebrate LOVE.

And possibilities for the future.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

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