The World Needs More Love, Not Just More Romance & Roses

Happy Friday the 13th!  A day that is superstitiously ‘unlucky’ may feel especially uncomfortable the day before Valentine’s Day if you happen to be on your own and wish that you weren’t.

Valentine’s Day is one of the most consumerized holidays celebrated in the Western World, and it can be easy to feel like you’re ‘unlucky’ or ‘unworthy’ if you’re not receiving cards, flowers, chocolates, or invitations for ‘dinner for two’.  But while it is wonderful to celebrate romantic love, it’s just one type of love, and many types of love can fill our hearts.

The love of family, friends, and pets.  Love in service, in gestures, and in being included.

And just as we can experience love in different ways, from different sources, so we can celebrate love in a multitude of ways, as well.

What if you wished a stranger at the bus stop, in a line-up, or on the street a “Happy Valentine’s Day”?  What if you were the only person who looked them in the eye and spoke to them that day?  Loneliness is recognized as an epidemic, so it’s not unthinkable.  Imagine the joy that might create.  Someone cares.

What if you asked a parent to share memories of their favourite Valentine’s Days over the years?  What if they miss their spouse and feel they don’t have a way to continue to celebrate a love that flourished until death?  Having the chance to speak to loss and remembering might be incredibly validating.  Someone wants to hear.

What if you took some treats to a homeless shelter, women’s shelter, or immigrant support society?  What if people who are marginalized or maybe struggle to feel like they belong in your community could feel seen, valued, and included?  That’s community-building.  That might feel like an extended hand, pulling them into the group.  You belong.

I use the hashtag #TheWorldNeedsMoreLove constantly because I truly believe it.  People everywhere want to experience love in some form.  Not necessarily with kisses or romance, not only in the form of hearts or chocolates, but in any way that makes someone feel ‘warm & fuzzy’ or leaves them smiling for a few hours.

Humans need love, just as they need water, food, and shelter.

It doesn’t have to cost a penny; it just needs to be felt in someone’s heart.