What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
It was the Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, and Family Day all in one weekend in February. I don't know about you, but Valentine’s was so much fun when we were young and in school, it was no stress! The stress came from picking the best Valentine's Day card to share with your crush and then hoping he would send you the sweetest card back. In high school, we had candy grams and it was so fun to receive little notes and candy hearts from all your friends. It just really made the day super fun.
Cherrie celebrated the Lunar New Year with her immediate family, they enjoyed traditional Chinese foods and decorated the house. It is really nice to have something to look forward to and to celebrate Valentine's Day. Cherrie and her partner usually are very low-key about the day as she says, “we don't really make a big deal about it, but we do get each other's sweet little cards and some little presents, usually chocolate”.
Christiana shares her own memories of Valentine’s Day, she says “my late husband, Tony, was a big Valentine's Day celebrant. He would get me 12 long roses and a gift. Before we left for our special dinner his favorite joke was “don't be jealous of my beautiful wife” which he would say to our children. Although Tony was a man of few words, he would always give me the most beautiful cards on Valentine's Day. I love his handwriting. It was so beautiful, but he did not write often. However, on Valentine's Day and every special day he would just give me the sweetest cards. These days, I don't really cherish Valentine's Day in any special way for me now it's just like any other day”.
The ancient Roman calendar included a mid-February holiday even before St Valentine's time. That holiday, which some people argue is actually the origin of Valentine's Day, is called Luper Callear and celebrated fertility and may have included a ritual in which men and women were paired off by choosing names from a jar. In ancient Greece, people observed a midwinter celebration for the marriage of the gods and goddesses. Some historians wonder if these traditions may have influenced the way we now celebrate February 14th. Interesting, right? Today, we celebrate Valentine's Day as a day of love.
Families can use this as an opportunity to express just how much they love and respect and appreciate each other. This may help to reinforce the family bond. I think it's also a great way to teach our children how to be kind, respectful, and given to others. It's really important to reinforce the idea that a show of kindness is helping someone showing respect and sharing are all ways that we can show our love. I think that we should celebrate Valentine's Day on any day. You don't need to spend a ton of money to show people that you love them it's the little things in life that mean the most - like a home-cooked meal or, simply telling someone how special they are or forgiving someone is ways we can express love.
Love abounds every day of the year. Valentine's Day is not only for people in relationships. Even if you are single, you should be able to treat yourself to a special Valentine's Day treat. Or you can choose to get together with your friends for a celebration of plenty of virtual activity during this time of pandemic isolation and love. To reach out to your friends and family to let them know the special. Every one of us needs a boost of confidence as well. If you know someone that is going through a difficult time, especially during this period of love, it's very important to reach out to them, encourage them, and if you cannot help them, explore with them ways that they can get help.
The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
