Valentine’s Day used to be important to me for reasons that I’m not going to go into. I enjoyed the whole of it even when I didn’t have a “Valentine” to celebrate with. I find that has changed now. I don’t mean I’m anti-Valentine, merely that it doesn’t carry a great deal of significance. Several years ago, we stopped going out because quite frankly, it tends to be the same kind of semi-chaos as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Since we both enjoy cooking, Valentine’s Day is another time we do a special meal at home. (The exception obviously is when we travel.)

We’re at the stage where we buy fewer and fewer gifts and with trying to watch my carbs, a box of lovely candy isn’t really a treat. (Well, okay, a few will do). Flowers are nice, although I’ve never particularly cared for roses because they simply tend to wilt too quickly. I think as much as anything though, with us having been married for more than 28 years, it isn’t that we’ve lost romance. It’s actually the opposite. Our romance is a daily thing, a thing of comfort, of a togetherness that doesn’t need a special day to acknowledge it. After all, when you’re married, there is the anniversary and often the anniversary of when you met. (Which was ironically Feb 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day and then I didn’t see him for a while because he left on a business trip).

I know it can be a difficult day for some people – those who aren’t in a relationship and would like to be or those who recently lost someone they love.

Whatever category you fit into, I hope you enjoy or make it through the day. And if it isn’t an easy day, be gentle with yourself as you reflect.