Happy Valentine's Day!

I recently was in a discussion about ‘hallmark’ holidays and how lamentable it was to have “holidays” like Valentine’s Day and Christmas where they are ‘corporate’ holidays celebrating the ‘worst kind of consumerism.’

And truth be told, I’m not a big Valentine’s Day kind of girl, but this perspective of the holiday honestly made me a little sad. I believe each day - holiday or not - is what we make of it. If we choose to make these days about the mass marketing and over-consumption that surrounds them, then that is exactly what they will be. But we have a CHOICE in how we perceive these days (and every day) for that matter.

And this choice is where the magic lies. This choice is where the beauty lies.

Originally, Valentine’s Day is rooted in Christian and Pagan traditions, and has been connected to celebrations of love, fertility, and even a martyred ‘saint’ Valentine that was killed during Roman times for secretly marrying soldiers who had been forbidden from marrying by the Emperor Claudius II.

And no, I’m not saying we have to go out and buy boxes of chocolates and have overpriced roses delivered.

What I am saying is that we can choose to see this day as a day of celebration, a day that has honored love for centuries, a day that has celebrated fertility and union. A day of love.

And ultimately, that is what is important. Love. Honoring it, celebrating it, welcoming it, and BEING it. When we choose to look at the day as a celebration of love, then we allow more of it to enter our lives. And love is truly the most powerful force. I don’t mean the attachment kind of love - but the kind of love that allows us to be who we are, accept others as they are, lead with love and live with love at the center of our hearts. Why wouldn’t we want to welcome that?

So in that spirit, in the spirit of sharing love, Happy Valentine’s Day. Because today is a day I want to honor, welcome and celebrate, and I want to share that with you too!