As we continue the Month of Love, remember that THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOVE TO CELEBRATE! Even the successfully coupled, probably wish that Valentine’s Day was as great as it was in second grade, when we simply handed out cute little cards to all of our friends. Sure, some of us cringed a bit when parents forced us to give them to even the two weird boys (who made armpit fart noises in the back of the room) so that their feelings wouldn’t be hurt, but we usually emerged unscathed with lots of little envelopes in hand.
Back then, there wasn’t pressure to couple up in a hurry. It wasn’t obligatory to buy presents for someone that we really couldn’t afford. No one had to hide for three days when feeling awkward and not knowing what to say (or not say) to various others. I don’t recall anyone feeling left out or lonely. We indeed had up and down days, but the idea of “LOVE” pretty much felt good.
Moving ahead, it can still feel this way because THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CELEBRATE LOVE! We can choose to make this month a month of HoPE by performing random acts of kindness. In addition to making others feel good, when you help someone, you will feel amazing. There’s a scientific explanation for this: helping others activates the pleasure center of your brain. People who commit random acts of kindness are significantly happier than those who don’t, and spending money on others makes you happier than spending money on yourself. Plus, happier people give more, which makes others happy and inspires them to give more.
So, go forth and be kind to others around you. Kiss your partner. Compliment your mother-in-law. Run an errand for your elderly neighbor or feed someone who is hungry. It is also a great day to sponsor a HoPE Center child (for only $9 a month), an entire HoPE Learning Center (for $360 a month), or an elderly person in dire need (For just $30 a month).
