Dear Readers,
I know, I know… Valentine’s Day… not necessarily a fun day especially for single people. A day created by retail to make money. Unnecessary romantic, cheesy and you feel even more alone….! But do you need to feel bad just because you are not in a relationship on Valentine´s Day?
Don’t get me wrong, the day is created by retail to make money. But on the other hand, we could also see it as a reminder to tell the people we are close to how much we love and appreciate them.
Do I think we need a special day for that?
No, I don’t think you need a specific day to do that, but unfortunately, we sometimes get so consumed by our day-to-day life that we forget that these things are important. Try to remember when you tell someone you are close to, family, friends, or partner that you love or appreciate them just randomly.
We rarely take time to appreciate them and be thankful for them. Whether it be friends that we can call at any time and vent about our day or talk to about our problems or members of our family that helped us out with a chore.
Like most ACEs I rarely was in a relationship on Valentine´s Day, so for me, this day was and is more about thanking the people that are closest to me. I used to give flowers to my friends with small cards or even whole letters. Nowadays I send them a message telling them how glad I am to have them in my life or at least a happy Valentine’s Day with a cute picture just to let them know that I’m thinking about them. Sometimes I took out a friend to have a nice dinner because they were alone as well or their partner was working that day. It wasn´t always on the 14th of February, sometimes it was a day before or after. It´s the gesture that counts.
Valentine’s Day is NOT just about romantic love, it’s about all kinds of love.
I don’t need a specific day to do that, but it helps me to do it consciously! And I don’t think it needs to be a grand gesture. Something small and from the heart is sometimes the best option. Small gestures can make someone´s day especially when they don´t expect it.
So don’t be sad if you don’t have a (queer romantic) relationship on Valentine’s Day. You have friends and family who will be equally happy to hear that you appreciate them and that you are glad you have them in your life. Try it out!
What about you? Do you tell people that you appreciate them just randomly or specifically on Valentine´s Day?
Yours, ACE
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