Valentine’s Day and I Have a Complicated Relationship.

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I’ve never been a huge fan of the pressure of it all—the expectations, the forced romance, the overcrowded restaurants, the idea that love has to look one very specific way on one very specific day. But every year, somewhere between February rolling in and life inevitably getting busy again, I find myself pausing. And that pause? That part I do like.

This year, that pause looked a lot like a staycation with my husband.

Nothing fancy. No flights. No elaborate plans. Just a few hours of stepping out of the daily grind and remembering what it feels like to be us. We took the time to set our goals and intentions as laid out in Shawn Johnson’s template. It was a great mix of relaxing and being productive. If you're looking for your own date night ideas, I have linked some here.

My kids are my forever Valentines, even when they’re driving me absolutely insane. The love is loud and chaotic and sticky and exhausting—and also the most grounding thing in my life. Valentine’s Day with kids isn’t candles and roses; it’s construction paper hearts, half-eaten chocolates, and trying to explain that yes, Mom would actually like to finish her coffee while it’s still warm. And somehow, that’s enough.

Then there’s friendship—the kind that sneaks up on you in adulthood and becomes essential before you even realize it. Lately, that’s been showing up on the pickleball court. Sweat, laughter, terrible shots, great conversations, and that feeling of being fully present for an hour or two. No phones. No multitasking. Just moving your body and spending time with people who make you laugh. If that’s not a love language, I don’t know what is.

So no, Valentine’s Day still isn’t my favorite holiday. But I’m learning to appreciate it for what it can be—not a spectacle, not a performance, but a small reminder. A nudge to look around and take stock of the people you genuinely enjoy doing life with. The ones who show up in the ordinary moments. The ones who make the chaos feel lighter.

And really, that’s worth celebrating—on Valentine’s Day or any random Tuesday in February. 💗