How Choosing To Be Intentional Gave Me A Great Valentine’s Day Experience

This Valentine’s Day, I was intentional about the experience I wanted for my family and me. Instead of waiting for someone else to make my day special, I decided to make the day special for us.

In our house, we have a tradition of cards. They are not store-bought ones but simple, handmade, thoughtful ones. When we ask our son what he wants on a special day, he always has the same response, a card.

So, keeping the tradition of cards, I made a simple card for each of them the night before Valentine’s day. I wrote a handwritten card inviting them to a special Valentine’s Day dinner at our house.

Making It An Intimate Setting

Years ago, I had decided that we would no longer eat a valentines meal outside on Valentine’s Day. The crowded restaurants, the rushed experience, and the added pressure didn’t appeal to me anymore. If we are going to celebrate love, it needs to be in a quiet, intimate setting. There wasn’t a better way to do this than at home.

During the day, my husband and I had lunch at a neighborhood pizza place we had never been to before. The pizza was delicious, and the service was great. However, when we got home, we realized we had spent most of the time talking about our son! So, we made a note to focus more on ourselves the next time.

During the evening, I spent time preparing my special meal of Baked Broccoli Cheddar Pasta, Bread Sticks, and Dutch Apple pie. Before you visualize this, I must share that I didn’t make the pie from scratch. It was still my first time baking any pie. I have always been more of a cake person.

I am not someone, who enjoys spending a long time in the kitchen daily, so we cherish special occasion meals like these in our house.

Connecting With Our Fundamental Quality

My latest meditation course, Joy Of Living, focuses on love. It talks about the fact that no matter what feeling we experience, happy or sad, we all come from a place of love. We all come from a place of caring for ourselves and wanting to be happy.

I applied this sentiment while cooking my special valentines meal. Unfortunately, my family wasn’t home to help me with my special meal. So, throughout the cooking process, I regularly reminded myself that I was doing all the work for the love of my family.

As a result, I enjoyed the whole experience of prepping, cooking, and serving the meal. Our candlelight dinner turned out to be great. The warm and gooey Apple was decadent. My family even joked if there were any return gifts at the end of the event. That meant that they felt like guests in their own home. They felt special.

Being Responsible For My Happiness

In the past, I have had many events like birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions where my expectations fell short, and I was disappointed. This is because I had unrealistic expectations of needing to feel extra special.

In the last few years, I started changing my attitude and practicing enjoying being with loved ones and making the most of the day. The entire goal was to have a good time and be happy.

Through meditation and books like 7 habits, I realized how I could be in charge of my happiness. I have learned about the responsibility that I should take in ensuring my happiness in life. So, for this Valentine’s Day, I was intentional about the experience I would have.

I was intentional about how I wanted to experience love for myself and my family. Spending time together and discussing the food without distractions meant much more than any gift we could have given each other.

Everything I received as a gift, whether it was flowers or jewelry, lost its importance over time. From my experience, the memories we create leave a stronger impression than anything one can buy.

I hope you make many such memories with your loved ones. I wish you a lifetime of joy and love.