February.
A sparkly, shiny, red month filled with nearly naked flying toddlers armed with arrows.
What’s not to love?
Sure, there are regular every day people who moan about Valentine’s Day because they won’t have anyone with whom to celebrate.
But then there are those of us who do have someone to celebrate with –or are single moms with children old enough to celebrate plus a new baby –and a Postpartum Mood Disorder.
Ugh.
Who has time to put energy into telling someone you love them just because Hallmark says we have to do so? Why this day instead of that day? Just…ugh.
With a new baby in the house, chances are both of you are exhausted. Nobody is sleeping, you want to scream at the world or are worried about everything BUT pulling an awesome Valentine’s Day off. Because let’s face it, when the nearly naked toddler in your life is busy screaming about needing to eat or refusing to cooperate with potty training, the last thing you want to do is make a gazillion Valentine’s with glitter because it will get all over ALL THE THINGS.
I think Susan over at Learned Happiness nailed it in her post for today.
They’ve been celebrating it all month.
Then she points out the bonus of 50% off candy on February 15th.
What’s happier than half-price chocolate? (Okay, half-price wine but I digress).
Today, I want you to give yourself a Valentine.
Do something, anything, little or big, whatever is in your budget, for yourself.
Because today, you matter too and you shouldn’t have to wait today (or any day) for someone to show you how much you matter or are loved.
It starts inside you.
Your Valentine to yourself might just be the pick-me-up you need right now. Plus, you know yourself better than anyone.
Or…wait until tomorrow.
Because you know, all the good stuff will be on sale, as Susan so deftly pointed out.
That’s really winning.
I’m so glad you connected with what I feel about the holiday. There’s so much pressure to celebrate holidays a certain way these days, especially with Pintrest to show us what we’re missing.
Amen – I think, just as with parenting, there’s no one “right” way to celebrate these days – we must do what is best for us and for our families. Sometimes that meshes with what those around us doe and other times it doesn’t. Either is okay. If we were all the same, life would be oh so boring.
Last year I was having a terrible time at Valentine’s Day. Work stress, depression, non-sleeping kiddo – ugh. So I wrote a valentine to myself. And it definitely helped to see my own pep talk in writing!
It helps SO much to see your own pep talk in writing! This is why post-it notes are such an amazing thing. 😉