Jennifer Basye Sander - Every Day Should be Valentines Day: 50 Inspiring Ideas and Heartwarming Stories to Make Your Love Feel Special All the Time

Copyright 2020 by Jennifer Basye Sander

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Laura Klynstra

Cover image by gettyimages

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5231-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-5232-0

Printed in China

Contents

Introduction

W elcome to the Every Day Is Special series! Were so glad you are here and ready to amp up the love, romance, and beauty in your life!

Valentines Day has literally been around for centuries, ever since (as the legend goes) a monk named Valentine helped sweethearts send clandestine messages to each other. And then, as so often happens with a good idea, the business world got hold of it and boomlove and romance once a year becomes commercialized. From advertisements for jewelry to restaurant promotions promising an evening to remember, it can be easy to feel wiped out after the Valentines Day commercial onslaught. Leaves a bit of a bad taste in the aftermath, doesnt it? So hey, take back your power! Celebrate every day instead!

Rest assured this is not a book about how to buy your way to a more romantic life. In compiling and collecting and creating these various ideas and suggestions, I have taken great care to consider any costs involved. What good is a book that suggests that you fly first class, enjoy fancy meals, and give diamonds as gifts? If you can afford any of these things, congratulations! However, if you are like most of us, those things would be a rare occurrence. Money stress is antiromance. Instead, we are here to help you create a more romantic life, and that requires creativity .

Where do fresh ideas for romance come from? From everything around you. Look at magazine pictures, or yes, Pinterest and Instagram. Dont look at these carefully staged images and think to yourself, My life doesnt look like this and probably never will I cant afford this, I cant go to that place, I cant visit that restaurant Instead, look creatively at what appeals to you and think to yourself, How can I make my life look like this with what I already have?

You and your partner will have different ideas about what is romantic, and that is okay. So much about being in a long-term relationship is about compromise, isnt it? And so we hope that both you and your partner get to indulge in the experiences and the moments that you each find romantic. Because if it always goes the way one of you wants it to, resentment might well bubble up.

The ideas and suggestions that weve collected here are not always about dewy-eyed romance, but often about having parallel experiences that bond you as a couple. Sprinkled throughout are also a handful of stories from people just like you about how even the most ordinary things can be viewed through a romantic lens. Weve also included a handful of Romantic Splurges for those times when you have the cash on hand to do something wild. So read on, and see what new ideas appeal to you

Weve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You cant just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think its going to get on by itself. Youve got to keep watering it. Youve got to really look after it and nurture it.

John Lennon

Save the Planet Together

L ove and commitment require planning ahead, and what more romantic way to plan ahead than to do something for the benefit of future generations? Working together on projects is an important part of relationship harmony, so why not combine those two ideas and work together on saving the planet for future generations?

Join a clean up the beach day or volunteer to help out on a technology recycling day in your community. On the home front, make personal household goals together around things like composting food scraps, cutting back on energy use, or perhaps biking instead of using the car to get around.

What a great way to affirm the fact that you expect your relationship to go on and on and perhaps someday (or maybe you already have) bring in another generation of planet dwellers yourselves.

Although every generation cares about the world, the newest among us are extremely focused on the topic. Nothing dampens my mood faster than a partner who casually disrespects the planet we live on, says twenty-year-old Jonathan S. He went on to add, and nothing earns my love and respect more than responsibility towards the only home we have.

Travel in Your Mind

M uch as wed like to live fast-paced lives of romance and adventure, sometimes it is hard to find the time and energy to leave our own neighborhood. So how can you determine new ideas, new places, and new people to keep us interesting to ourselves and our partners? Well, you will just have to travel in your mind. Read a novel set in an exotic locale like retired attorney Pam Giarizzo has done.

Is there anything more romantic than traveling to an exotic paradise, quaint village, or world-class city? Having the opportunity to explore historic sites, meet interesting people, and sample new foods is an exhilarating experience but, unfortunately, time and money constraints mean you cant always just pick up and go to the exciting destinations you long to visit. Pam is taking an armchair journey around the globe by reading a book from every country in the world, and she shares her literary travels in her blog, The Booktrekker. In addition to reading a book, she prepares a recipe and donates to a nonprofit organization doing work in each country. The hashtag #ReadCookGive describes Pams approach to learning about places she may never actually visit in person, although after reading about some of these countries, she may have to add them to her bucket list! Look for The Booktrekker online.

Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

Walt Whitman

Foot Massage Time

A ngela Montanez of New York shares what she thinks is wildly romanticwell, wildly romantic in front of the kids, anyway. My brother-in-law very sweetly rubs my sisters back and feet every night after she has made dinner for the family. I think that is super romantic, and simple.