It's Back...Valentine's Day or Flu Season?
Love is in the air… perhaps it’s the smell of chocolate or cut flowers. (Or maybe it's just the flu virus. I don't know about you but I am afraid of this one even though I've already had my flu shot. I don't think I've ever washed my hands as much as I have lately. Ok, back to the holiday at hand) I've lived through 64 Valentine’s Days, my husband 68. So, how do you plan to celebrate, if at all? (Once again...it's flu season kiss with care, ok?) I have a couple of suggestions for fun things to do on Valentines Day because frankly, a box of chocolates just won’t cut it any more. A couple of my favorites -- Play hooky! Whether from a paid job, volunteer job, or even grand-parenting duties, pull the plug on to-do lists. Another one -- take a class together, perhaps a cooking class to learn a new skill or recipe. Aside from the smell of chocolate and fresh cut flowers and the flu virus, there is also too much strife and contentiousness. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who have said they want to stay in bed and pull the covers over their heads as a result all the political turmoil in our country. I think HGTV must have seen an upsurge in viewership as people avoid watching, reading, and listening to the latest news media clips. Let’s use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to treat ourselves with a little loving kindness. To counteract some of the strife, here are a few suggestions:
Nature instead of negativity. Try hiking, kayaking, beach walking, or biking;
Visit an art museum or gallery (The Mennello Museum’s recent art exhibit in Orlando provided just such a whimsical and colorful escape);
Try performance art- a ballet, concert, or play, even a movie. (I’ll be in Chicago for Valentine’s week and have tickets to see Hamilton.)
Creative expression- doodling, coloring, quilting, and/or writing (I resolved to work on a book I’ve been threatening to write for years);
Yoga and/or meditation (Rather than burying my head in Facebook every morning I enrolled in a Meditation boot camp at my local yoga studio. Of course I still have a tendency to peek at my FB news feed, but at least it is for shorter periods of time.)
Our spirits need a break, friends. Don’t neglect them!