Five Guys Valentines

So Valentine's Day is about love, right? I don't mean to get all philosophical here, but I was deeply pondering this late at night earlier this week because I realized that my enthusiasm for this holiday has dramatically DEcreased since being married to the love of my life.

This makes no sense! This feels backwards!! The outrage!! Something must be wrong with me! (am I a terrible wife? do I have a heart of stone?)

For me, Valentine's day used to be an opportunity to celebrate friendships and find a bright spot of encouragement in an otherwise dark and dreary season. I remember watching as friends moped about not having a girlfriend or boyfriend on this day, and I remember making this HUGE effort in junior high to make the day as fun as it could possibly be. I remember wanting to shift people's mindset about what Valentine is supposed to be so they could be free to really enjoy it instead of focusing on what they thought it was supposed to be (and what it wasn't for them). And in the process of doing that, I grew to love this often loathed holiday. Every single year I would look forward to the day and sing it's praises. I would scheme about valentines cards and what kind of dessert I was going to bake 5 dozen batches of.

This holiday became something I would rally behind to celebrate my life and help others do the same.

fun-red-black-casual-date-looks-him-and-her

But what I have noticed in this current season of life is that I am incredibly happy and blessed to be loved by my very best friend, and this holiday couldn't make one shred of a difference to how loved I am!

Don't get me wrong, we still will take any excuse to say "I love you", but this day does not hold anything our other days don't also hold.

So, if you're like me, and you weren't really feeling Valentine's Day this year, and you felt a leeetle bit of guilt for your lack of interest in the hearts and the flowers and the candy (waiiiit... no I am definitely still interested in the candy!), and somehow you found yourself sharing a booth at five guys eating a sloppy old burger and a whole BAG full of fries instead of filet mignon and fois gras, don't worry- it's not a sign that you're falling out of love. In fact, it might be just the opposite!