LOVE YOURSELF - DON'T HATE VALENTINE'S DAY!

Aaaaaahhhhhhh the week before Valentine's day I brace myself for all the anti-Valentine's Day memes and posts all over social media... Especially when I make it known that Valentine's Day has always been one of my very favourite holidays throughout my life, I start hearing the protests:
"I'm miserable and single, how can I feel happy about Valentine's Day approaching?",  
"It's just a commercial holiday where we're forced to spend money to show our love"
"We should show our love for people everyday - not just one day a year"
... it's really become a holiday people love to hate!  And why? I think we are looking at it way too narrowly.  People often think I only love Valentine's day because I have a wonderfully romantic husband and I get swept off my feet to a magical evening of wining and dining every V-Day.  Remember, I have loved Valentine's Day for ages, way before I was in a relationship.  Also remember, I have a seven year old son which sometimes makes it tricky to get out for an evening of romance with my man!  I've had so many different types of Valentine's Days and loved them all... I've spent them sharing my love for dance with audiences and students, I've had my favourite meal prepared for me at home and watched some TV, I've gone out to dinner and a club, I've spent it with a bunch of fun toddlers, and so much more! Let's think back to when we were little, did you hate Valentine's day then?  Giving and getting valentines, candy-o-grams, and chocolate hearts from friends and family and smiling over all the love that was in the air... The reason I love Valentine's Day so much is it's a whole day celebrating LOVE!!!! Love of all sorts, not just romantic love - family, friends, pets, passions, whatever you love!  Of course I believe we should show our love everyday and not just on Feb. 14, but then why don't we hate so much on every other holiday? No one ever says we should show love for our mothers everyday, not just on mother's day, I never hear any nasty anti-mother's day memes.  I think having a day dedicated to appreciating something like our mothers, or love, or whatever is pretty cool and can be a reminder to continue that warm fuzzy feeling throughout the year.  I also think we need to think outside the box in terms of Valentine's gifts and activities.  You don't need to do the traditional Valentine's stuff that we're expected to do by Hallmark.  Of course I think a beautiful dinner, roses, chocolates, and champagne are awesome, but there are so many other ways to express your love in a special way for all your different Valentines at this time of year.  It's all about what's important to you, your love, your pal, your child, your dog, It doesn't have to cost money, it doesn't have to be "cheesy"... it could be anything - your time, your words, your imagination, the possibilities are endless!  If you find yourself hating V-Day, try to look inside yourself and figure out where that hate is coming from...  Why do you hate the idea of love?  This year, make yourself your own Valentine, treat yourself to something special, set aside Feb. 14 to do stuff you absolutely love to do that you've forgotten about or haven't had the time for lately, self-love is the first step to having true love with anyone else in our lives! So I say open your hearts and show some love for the day that's all about something beautiful and positive - LOVE!!! Have fun!