5 IDEAS FOR KEEPING THE VALENTINE SPIRIT ALL YEAR

Why should Christmas be the only holiday honored with the catchphrase “keep that spirit all year round”? The values at the “heart” of Valentine’s Day are equally deserving of ongoing attention.

Here are five values widely honored each February, with ideas for bringing them into your family’s life any day of the year.

1. Expressing Love

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to neglect small expressions of tenderness that affirm to your family how much they mean to you. Too much taking for granted that “they already know I care” has murdered many a marriage and many a parent-child relationship. Try never to let a full day pass without telling each of your family members directly (with eyes and actions as well as words) that you love them.

2. Paying Special Attentions

If there’s anything more priceless than telling someone “I love you,” it’s saying it in the “love language” they understand best. Your family’s favorite Valentine’s Day traditions can give you ideas for the rest of the year: if your daughter’s face lights up when you include a bouquet with her card, pick her some flowers on your way home next May.

3. Mindful Pauses

You likely don’t shove a Valentine card at someone as you dash by en route to an appointment, or gulp down a Valentine luncheon as if you were due back at work in ten minutes. Why tear through “ordinary” life at always-late, relationship-neglecting, digestion-disrupting speed? Any moment can be special if you slow down long enough to appreciate it. And people who take life slowly and mindfully, not those who mindlessly cram in all the to-dos they can, are the ones who accomplish what’s worthwhile.

4. Little Indulgences

Of course we can’t gorge on boxes of chocolates 365 days a year, but there are ways to make any day “sweet” without violating the principles of good health.

Enjoy a piece of fresh fruit.

Set aside time to inhale the aroma of flowers or fresh air.

Sit in the park with a loved one.

Pet a cat and let the purr vibrate through you both.

Take one small piece of chocolate and let it literally melt in your mouth.

5. Good Health

Valentine’s Day’s association with hearts has led to February’s being named American Heart Month, a time for special attention to your physical heart. It pays to make healthy everyday practices enjoyable, not simply dutiful: and it’s doubly enjoyable to do it as a family.

Take regular walks in the park together.

Share healthy home-cooked meals around a real dinner table.

Have a shared late-evening routine (reading stories, singing together, sipping hot drinks) to wind down for better sleep.

Play board games that exercise your brains.

Nurture healthy attitudes by counting your blessings together: make it a game of “remember the whole list as it grows.”

May your family’s Valentine’s Day be filled with fresh blessings!