.happy heart (for everyone) day.

for those of you madly in love or even angrily liking someone, valentine's day is a glorious time for you to basque in romance. on the other hand, if you'd like to shove cupid's arrow where the sun don't shine, then this is a terrible, miserable, corporate-created day for you. hey, i've been on both sides of the valentine's fence; so, i get it.

although i'm hopelessly in love with my newish husband and have little hearts floating in my eyes, this won't be that kind of post. what i'd like to chat about instead is all the love we can all find on a day like this; with or without the smooching.

on v-day especially, life can be depressing for some of us. let me try (notice i said try) to give you some ideas to cheer you up. make a list of ten things you love that don't include romantic love. i'll go first.

1. the way my puppy dogs both want to snuggle as close as they can against me when they're napping
2. any happy feedback i get from my baking or blogging
3. the way my hpff still lets me laugh at all my own dorky jokes after all these years
4. real mail written by a real person; especially if there's a p.s.
5. watching netflix tv shows like the office and parks and recreation unabashedly one right after the other
6. cheese
7. my new camera and the fun i'm having with it
8. alarm-clockless weekends
9. a clean house
10. board game nights

now, if you don't smile at some point when making your own list, then let's move to plan b. write 5 things that have touched your heart in a joyous way over the past year. i'm not going to lead by example on this one in fear of leaving something more breathtaking out than the item before. but rest assured, i have 5, more than 5 even, and some of them are from my crappiest days. i'll wait for you to make yours...

ok, if you're still feeling like the 'scrooge of valentine's current,' let's try one more tactic. pick that one person, that one child, that one pet or that one imaginary friend still in your life that makes your heart (not romantically) skip a beat and close your eyes. wait, read this first and then close your eyes. phew. that was a close one.

think of that one person or pet you've picked out and travel back to one of your favorite memories with them and how happy it made your heart. ok, now go ahead and close your eyes and try it. open your eyes. please tell me there was at least a little smile even on the inside.

well folks, i've done my darndest to ensure that we all have a pleasant valentine's day. a day about love is a day for all of us to rejoice in because love comes in so many forms.

p.s. the best kind of love you can possibly imagine is the kind you give away.