People all over are making plans for Valentine's Day which will be here in just a few days. With all the talk of holiday gifts, love and even the sentiments of "I Heart You", many will still overlook one special thing that will make their Valentine's Day unique:
A Healthy Heart
Like the rest of the body, the heart responds positively to a balanced diet -- not only through food and exercise -- but also through the attention and care that accompanies love; namely Spiritual Love, Self-Love and yes, Romantic Love.
This Valentine's Day, make sure the emphasis is on creating a healthy heart for you and your partner, your family, or whoever you celebrate the day with. Focus on the heart, not just the gifts, flowers or the candy.
Valentine's Day is much more than flowers, gifts and chocolates. It should be focused on the Healthy Heart instead of the holiday blueprints induced by our commercial culture.
Gifts are nice; yes even candy, but over time, we tend to forget the real reasons behind the gifts we give and receive. We forget that it should only be about you and the people you love.
You might be thinking, "Isn't that why we give the gifts, especially the expensive ones?"
Well, you're half-right. It's not only about the gift or how much money was spent on it; it's about the time and emotions put into choosing the perfect gift and the feeling it incites when accepted.
It's not about giving flowers simply because it's done in all the love stories. It's about understanding the relationship between you and your partner and syncing the right color and type of flower to signify the value and worth of the relationship.
(More on the meaning behind types and colors of flowers in a later post)
As for the candy -- well, what can I say when around this time of year, the days rain heart-shaped boxes filled with tasty varieties of luscious, squishy chocolate candies, just waiting for a pinch to see what's inside before popping into your mouth.
Speaking as one who adores candy...namely chocolate...I used to welcome Valentine's Day candy boxes and the whole assortment of flavors. But for health-related reasons (not to mention calories), I left them alone. So my heart-shaped pleasures came to an end days ago.
Bummer, right? Well, not really.
Now, each year, instead of crying over spilt milk-chocolate, or pigging out on the array of melt-in-your-mouth goodies that constantly greet me on every magazine page, every television commercial, every highway billboard, and at every turn of the grocery store aisle; Michael and I usually plan a Heart-Healthy Valentine's Day that consists of quality alone - don't answer the door or the phone - time together. Sometimes, it's a quiet, romantic meal at home or a relaxing day-trip somewhere else.
This year, because Michael has to work that afternoon and evening, we'll probably celebrate on a day other than the 14th. Either way, the focus will be the two of us and how we plan to use the time available. Not when the calendar tells us, nor in the traditional fashion that's commercially dictated to us; but in the way we want to.
And better yet, our way won't clog the arteries, throw us in debt, cause headaches or put bumps on my face.
Whichever way we decide to spend the time though, I guess it couldn't hurt to embrace those insightful words of Charles M. Schulz:
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
Have a Blissful Valentine's Day! Enjoy it from the bottom of your heart...your healthy heart.
And as always,
Continued Bliss
~Tell Tammy ~
How will you spend Valentine's Day this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
