Valentines Day Cometh – do you hear the sound of all the Hearts of Glass shattering all over the world? What makes so many people dread Valentines Day? I’m not really sure but maybe it’s driven by unrealistic expectations and often ruined by reality arriving. Unfortunately in a reality based relationship many holidays are overlooked or ruined due to laziness and/or a lack of imagination combined with unrealistic expectations on the part of the couple. Maybe one or maybe both people are to blame.

If Valentines Day is supposed to be so romantic why is it that so many people end up with a shattered heart of fragile glass every year when it rolls around? The simple answer is unrealized expectations. The higher you allow your expectations to be the more shattered the heart glass can be and the more scars are created and left behind to fester. Unfortunately, it only takes the memory of one very unacceptable Valentines Day to leave anxiety and annoyance each year when it arrives again. Why is that? Again, I have to believe that because the expectations for this holiday are really rather unrealistic.

If you are to believe all the advertising associated with it, expectations range from romantic candle lit dinners, complete with hearts and candy and flowers and gifts and champagne leading to an eventual orgy of ecstasy. So when your version falls short on one or more levels, the entire day is deemed to be a disaster. Now if you add to that the fact that most females have at least one horrific Valentines Day memory from a past failed relationship, that makes their heart fragile every year right on cue, and crack, smash, crash, Hearts of Glass are shattering all over the place.

So what can you do to keep your heart from shattering? Well, there’s probably no way to guarantee that won’t occur; because that possibility always exists. But you might find the day more successful if you protect your fragile heart of glass by lowering your expectations and perhaps if you expect less you will enjoy whatever the day brings more. Now I don’t disagree that a person who professes to care about you should not ignore the day and the opportunity to celebrate a special day with you. But even if the person you have a right to expect to shower you with some level of romance and ecstasy completely drops the ball, there is a very important fact you should focus on.

Valentines Day is really about love, just love, and the only person who you really can always expect to love and cherish you even with any and all flaws you may have – is YOU! So always behave in a manner that allows you to be proud of yourself, be kind and caring and set a good example because in the words of an old song – what the world needs now is love sweet love … it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of… not hearts, not cards, flowers, candy, champagne, etc. – even on Valentines Day. So don’t walk around with a Heart of Glass waiting for someone to shatter it again. Give some thought to whether the person who down-played the day is really who you think they are and who you want to share your time with and then do something special for yourself. Because on Valentines Day and always your heart should be full of love no matter who forgets to notice… because a loving warm heart just might protect itself from being as easily shattered as a Heart of Glass.

Until next time, have a warm heart but be COOL! Be happy, be well, and be the best you that you can be!

Best Regards,

Kate Woods
I Aspire To Inspire


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