Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so it is time to think about saying “I love you” to the important person in your life. No other three words have the same kind of power to stir emotions of passion, friendship, and family bonding. Whenever you give words of love, you are sharing some special parts of who you are with another person.
Not that we don’t show our love every single day, right? But, let’s admit it, sometimes we need a jolt to recapture romance in our day-to-day lives. February 
14th is as good a day as any to show how much our spouse or partner means to us.
We all have a personal love language we use to say how much we care. For some people, it’s easier to give a greeting card or perhaps write a poem. For others, it’s easier to buy a gift or whisk their special someone away to enjoy a few lingering hours over dinner. Whatever your style, it’s the way you show your love.
Want to expand your love world, shake things up, and excite your valentine this year? You might be pleasantly surprised if you dare to venture just a little bit outside your comfort level.
Are you the card-sending type? Rather than just one card, why not send three? One funny, one romantic, and perhaps one construction-paper, glittery creation you have made yourself.
Are you a love poem writer? Go ahead and write that poem, but present it in a new way. Maybe hide each stanza in a different place around the house with clues leading your lover to the hiding places.
Are you a gift giver? Forget the candy or flowers this year. Instead buy a book, movie, or doodad you think your lover would enjoy. That shows more thought than stopping by a drug store and responding to the holiday displays out of obligation. For example, is there some food your partner likes, but you can’t stand, so you normally don’t get it at the grocery? Show you care and get your partner a can of sardines packed in mustard sauce.
Whatever you choose to do this year, make sure the kids are tucked away with a babysitter. Get rid of all distractions so there’s plenty of time alone. Stay within your budget, too! No need for ammunition to ignite future fights about spending habits.
Perhaps give your partner the luxury of a full-body massage. Place all your attention on your partner. Leave no stone unturned in your quest to relieve all of your partner’s daily tension. Make your partner feel pampered beyond compare, like a king or a queen. Watch what can happen when your partner’s stress falls away.
Are you a dinner devotee? Rather than go to “your favorite place,” find a restaurant similar to your old favorite. Maybe it will become a new place to rendezvous. Or ask a restaurant to prepare a take-away meal and enjoy a romantic dinner for two at home, with some tunes by Marvin Gaye and Bryan Ferry.
If that gets you in the mood, try taking a shower together and ending up in bed.
Most importantly, be totally with your partner or spouse. Let’s think about our partners and how much they add to our lives, and then share those thoughts. Reminiscence about old times shared and how you fell in love. Laugh together and bring back the joy you first found in each other. Even if you don’t have some inventive plan, you can simply hold hands and say “I love you.”
Finally, thank Cupid for targeting his arrow at a cold day in February to remind us to stop a minute and let love shine through our lives.
