Come and Get Your Love

I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. While I once loved the mandatory exchange of valentines in grade school, my feelings on the day quickly soured. I’ve been vocal about my disdain for the day, becoming something of a Valentine’s Day Grinch.

For the record, I love love! I want to give it freely to everyone I meet. I want to be loved, yes, but more importantly, I want the people in my life to know how much I love them. I want to be so warm and loving that anyone I come into contact with knows I see their inherent value as a person. I want to show my love in big and small ways every day.

And I think that’s what’s at the root of my gripe about this day: It feels like a pass to only worry about love once a year. Or like a prompt: show love today. I’m generally not a fan of prompts (or people telling me what to do, for that matter).

Love has been on my mind lately as I’m in promotion mode for my forthcoming novel, How We See the Gray. It’s such a weird thing to promote one’s work. A very different energy than the introverted creative mode I prefer. It’s like trying to find my book a date, hoping for a love connection.

But I’ve been trying to center connection and love. I never want my relationships—professional or otherwise—to feel transactional. Or for anyone to feel obligated to do something for me, including buying my book. So as a way to focus on connection, I started sending one postcard a day. It’s been grounding to spend a few minutes each morning pouring out a little love, appreciation, and gratitude, and I get a tiny thrill each time I drop one into a blue mailbox.

The thing I love about postcards is by their very nature, they’re one-sided. There’s no return address, so there’s no hope of getting anything in return. It’s sending out love with no expectation—no chance, even—of receiving anything. Which is how I, Valentine’s Day Grinch™, believe love should be given.

Anyway, I’d love to send you one! You can fill out this form for you or someone you love.

I’ve been reading much less than I’d like these days, so I’m skipping reading recommendations, but will pour extra love into them next time!

This post’s title is courtesy of this little number:

Wishing you lots of love every day of the year. <3