Valentines day should be more than a Hallmark or Cadbury moment, it is a chance to acknowledge a love for or of a place, a person, a passion, a tradition, a cause, a community, your animal companions or our wild world.
Crafty cupids seek to create a memory beyond the moment with a unique experience or gift expressing all kinds of love…
Don’t just wine and dine go on a romantic adventure!
Athlete, author and founder of the Primal Blueprint, Mark Sisson (www.marksdailyapple.com) on his favourite ways to spend Valentines day.
“Every day should be an opportunity for adventure and reinforcing the love you have for your partner. But holidays like Valentine’s Day can be a fun reminder to do something special. Carrie and I are both active people. Ideally, we’d get outdoors, hike around our favourite spots together (nature is a great backdrop to slow down and connect), pick a venue to enjoy a shared interest (maybe a concert), and pick a stellar restaurant to top it off.”
Former Navy Seal, coach, author and SealFit founder, Mark Divine (www.sealfit.com) describes his most romantic adventure…
“My Most romantic adventure was a six day silent retreat with my wife on the Big Island Hawaii in 2015. We enjoyed meditation, and yoga in silence by day and equally enjoyed secret whispers in the evening as we broke the rules a bit. It was a beautiful time to practice the non-verbal art of communication.”
What these rugged romantics realise is that the simple things often convey more—spending time in nature, engaging in authentic communication (spoken or silent) is true joie de vivre!
Don’t just buy something, make, bake or build it!
Heartfelt handmade gifts reflect your passion to create and when you share that with someone this honours two kinds of love.
Jamie Oliver pupils might plan and prepare a romantic menu or host a family feast spreading the love across generations.
Combine cultivation and culinary creation by harvesting and blending your own honey (like a mixologist of the meadow, melding the botanical notes of different varieties to produce a bespoke bee offering). For bonus points: take a mead making course and brew your own wild-fermented, honey-based wine.
Perhaps your partner loves surfing, imagine their delight being presented with a board built by you. Workshops catering to all kinds of loves are great gifting avenue for crafty cupids, build a board, a bird box, or for tech lovers a specially designed drone modified to excite your muse.
Don’t just celebrate couples, show some love for your animal companions too!
Cuddles from a cat, devotion from a dog, these gestures are given freely. What’s more, science confirms the benefits to our health, from oxytocin to getting us outdoors more, animals and wildlife deserve some love in return.
Play can be a profound expression of our love especially with active animals, another simple sentiment with theraputic value is to do as Dr. Doolittle and ‘talk to the animals’ (animals are excellent listeners, perfect for confiding in, and the cathartic practise also reassures young, timid or restless animals).
Don’t just love local, love globally!
Romance is but one facet of love, empathy and compassion are equally powerful expressions of the heart. Valentines day is a great catalyst for engaging in acts of love and a springboard for carrying forth its virtues.
There are many causes and communities worth investing your time, talent and funds with—so, to help decide your contribution consider what you are passionate about, your unique talents, and life legacy goals to identify how you can best serve your higher purpose.
With all my love, happy Valentine’s Day!
