Matters of the Heart

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It was late afternoon, February 14

And all through the store there could be seen

Men of desperation running in shock

Hustling and bustling, with eyes on the clock…

-Lauren Snelgrove            

“I can’t believe stores have switched to Valentine’s Day already,” I overheard someone grumbling several days after New Year’s. Retailers gave up the natural seasons of planting, harvesting, and new moons. Their calendar is based on holidays and citizen consumers, and consequentially, so are yours.  They aren’t the only ones controlling seasons—there’s the sports people and the politicians and….

The essence of Valentine's Bewilderment...

Next on the list for the retailers is our national day of love.  My personal retail memories of this day still make me shake my head.  I can recall men searching for the perfect present and card, looking for anything that sings, “I care and I took time to pick this out,” while usually under siege of shopping distress.

This is not to say the women aren’t as equally involved—they’ve just finished their shopping the week before, perhaps equally as task driven and frantic. Valentine’s Day is an equal opportunity holiday, offering bewilderment to all.

As the customers entered our stores I could hear hearts beating loudly and in unison, “Help me, please, help!”  The most common conversations I heard can be broken down into:

•  I really want to get this right, but I never know what to do.
•  I’m here because my dad/mom/friend need a gift and sent me (my personal favorite).
• Do you have any teddy bears or, actually, better yet, bears with chocolate attached?
• ·      What would you want that would be okay for:
•  A relationships that is new?
•   A “we aren’t serious but I have to do something,” gift?
• Something that shows I care, even though I hate this day?                   

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These are all true and common accounts, I promise. I did enjoy the many men and woman that sincerely cared and wanted to do the right thing. Yet even those folks felt so much pressure to deliver something that expressed their love, on a single day of the year, through a single emblem of sentiment. That’s a pretty complicated message, St. Valentine.  

Instead of panicking this Valentine’s Day, why not keep it simple? As many have done and are doing, you could create your gift, donate to a cause your loved one supports, or give something valuable to everyone—time.

You can break loose of the shopping frenzy and keep it simple. Again and always, you have an opportunity to give the greatest gift if all: words from your heart. Express your love, friendship, appreciation, or compassion to special people in your life, platonic or romantic. Words are simple, long lasting, and unique any recipient.

From the heart,

Rita