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Friday, February 6, 2009

Exercise Your Right to Vote...and Love


If you're a cynic this time of year the Vortex won't be for you next week. For some, Valentine's Day is the equivalent to corporate greed driving the engine of guilt. Why do we need one day to tell those around us we love them when we tell them every day?

You may think taking the trash out for your honey while wearing boxers and black dress socks screams, "LOVE!" (and it does) but we all need to step out of our comfortable rituals sometimes. Me, included. I confess that for a Valentine I once replaced every Hershey Kiss flag in a hundred-count bag with tiny, typed flags lauding every reason I adored him. The same Valentine now witnesses me most days in my holey-pajama-bottom-writing-pants and penguin slippers stumbling to the keyboard to weave vast hours of a fictitious life. That Valentine deserves a day free of my rituals.

If your Valentine is of the materialistic variety, I can't help you. I am a product of my dad's practicality. I don't want a dozen roses when one speaks the same sentiment. Forget jewelry. It wouldn't go with my pajama bottoms. When this romance writer thinks of expressions of love, it is in the creative, uniquely-catered-to-that-person overture where true romance lives.

To that end, each day next week you'll find creative tidbits and ideas to get you thinking about ways to make this Valentine's day truly memorable. Some are intended for romantic love, while others can be used to express love to family and friends-even strangers. We could all use a little more of that random kindness.

For a little added fun, I've included a vote where Vortex readers decide the order of the posts. Here they are:

Time (of course, right?)
Ideas that cost little more than thoughtful moments

The Quiet
Ideas found in stillness

But I Need to Wrap Something
Ideas that beat Prada and Hi-Def TVs

Questions to Help You Discover The Perfect Celebration
Ways to kick-start your own unique ideas

Everything I Need to Know About a Woman's Heart I Learned From a Romance Novel
Demystifying what is really no mystery at all

Be sure to vote for your favorite(s) on the right sidebar. The most popular picks will appear first.

Have a super weekend, everyone!

7 comments:

Marilyn Brant said...

I love what you did with the Hershey's kisses flags...he must've been so touched. I have friends who hate Valentine's Day, but I'm not one of them. I'm looking forward to your week of posts and will be off to vote now :).

Charles Gramlich said...

Very nice ideas. Lana and I do little things somewhat like this for each other all the time, to show we're thinking of the other.

laughingwolf said...

exactly my thoughts, lam... it's something shared every day of the year, and matches every style :)

the walking man said...

Ha ha ha ha "Holy" pajamas you and my wife have the same designer.

As there is not a romantic bone ion my body that was not broken early and often forgo the impulse just as early and often taught me.

Barbara Martin said...

I like sending Valentines cards to people who don't expect to get them from me.

Miladysa said...

I'm lucky my husband makes every day special with little acts of kindness :D

Vesper said...

I'm all for romance, L.A. :-) I'm looking forward to enjoying your posts.

In the mean time, there's something waiting for you at my site...