#Love

As I headed back to the office today, the thoughts of the weekend and Valentine's day still lingered in my head. In Spanish we use the literal translation of "Dia de San Valentin" but "El Dia del Amor y la Amistad" is more broadly used, which means the 'Day of Love and Friendship', and emphasis is made on all sorts of love, not only the romantic type.

Although Saint Valentin is a recognized saint in the Catholic Church and February 14th is indeed his feast, there are countless differing legends as to why his day is widely recognized as a day for romance and devotion. I know a lot of people resist the concept of celebrating it, purely on the grounds of it being a commercial tactic to get people to spend money. I don't totally disagree but I'm happy I see it through a different lens.

There's so much power in intentionally manifesting feelings and emotions, so having one day where people around the world commit to showing love and appreciation towards each other has to have an impact on the social consciousness. You don't need to spend money or go out of the way to show those that you love a little affection. There so much power in showing love with simplicity and thoughtfulness.

My hubby brought me a beautiful bouquet of red roses and prepared one of his outstanding "Cappuccini" and my heart was already full. I threw a blanket on our court yard, placed strategic candles all over, opened a bottle of wine with some munchies, and Voila! I also made a point to spending quality time with our kids and letting my parents know how much I love them and that in and on itself, gave me butterflies in my stomach, because I acknowledged how special and blessed that moment was. Living in the now has that effect.

Most people celebrate Birthdays and we make an effort to honor the fact that we are entering into another year of life that day, so what's the problem in doing the same on Valentine's day and celebrate LOVE? Biting or not the commercial hook is solely up to you.

The first time I used #LOVE In a social media post I was in shock. Posts using that word were in the Billions! To me, Love is truly the most powerful creative energy, we all want to give it and receive it, and when we live with a heart-centered attitude we live a more fulfilled life.

So, as I start a new week, I am re-committing to embrace a 'Love and Kindness attitude' at work and in life and pay attention to how it impacts my day-to-day. What do you say? Are you up for it too?