The Art & Science of Journal Writing

I have warm memories of Valentine’s day as a kid. My father would bring home three heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolate: A large one for my mother, and two smaller ones for my sister and I.

As an adult I never bought into the commercial gifts of Valentine’s day–the little pink hearts with “kiss me” printed on the supersweet candy, the store-bought cards that says, “Be my valentine!” That stuff always felt hokey to me. I believe that expressing one’s love to one’s spouse, significant other, boy/girl friend, family members and good friends is something that should happen way more often than once per year.

So I propose two things to do this Valentine’s weekend: First, make a handwritten card telling your loved ones know how much they mean to you. If you haven’t bought your pre-written Valentine’s card yet, get some paper, fold it in half, maybe find a few colored markers or pencils to add a little decoration, and write a note to your sweetheart about his/her finest qualities, how much he/she means to you, and how much and why you value the relationship.

Then, write a journal entry how about how much you appreciate and love yourself. It’s difficult to be kind, sweet,  and loving to someone else unless you love yourself, too. So spend some time this weekend remembering and writing about your own lovable qualities. (Forget about what you’d like to change about yourself–just focus on your positive characteristics.)

Happy Valentine’s Day.