Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. If your loved one is deployed, you may feel like throwing in the towel. Why bother to celebrate when your heart hurts? If you think you’re going to spend this holiday alone, resist the temptation to crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head.
Instead, embrace this Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to show your love and appreciation to others – and even to yourself. If you’re unsure how to do that, try these ideas to get started:
- Make some baked goods with your kids. Treat your kids to some quality time by helping them bake for classmates, friends, adopted grandparents or other special people in their lives. If you don’t have kids, invite a friend or a friend’s children to participate. Send some of the goodies in a care package to your missing Valentine.
- Make a card to send to your deployed loved one. Get some construction paper, heart-shaped SweeTARTS, photos of your family, and glue. Use these materials to create a cute card for your spouse. If you don’t want to deal with the mess or the postage, send an ecard. Check out hallmarkecards.com or someecards.com. Some sites require a paid subscription for sending ecards, but other websites offer these free. Google “free ecards” for ideas.
- Plan a Girls’ Night Out (or Girls’ Night In). If you feel like getting out on Valentine’s night, call a couple of girlfriends. Go out for dinner and a movie. Even better yet, organize a Valentine’s Day potluck at your home. Invite other spouses and their children. Make it a party atmosphere with decorations and games. Plan ahead, share the responsibilities for preparations, and have fun.
- Get out and move. If you think you’ll have a day to yourself, don’t waste it by sitting at home on the couch. If you’re in a warm climate, go hiking, running, or bike riding around the base or town. If you’re in a cold climate, try skiing, snowboarding, or just taking a walk in your local downtown area. If all else fails, pamper yourself with a spa day. You deserve it!
It’s easy to get down in the dumps around Valentine’s Day, especially if you see happy couples everywhere you go. But remember, your friends and family stand ready to support you. So reach out to them. They may want to share their heart with you too.
Teasia Levin
Stonecroft National Military Consultant
Stonecroft Military