You Are My World

This print was provided to me by The Simple Perks. All opinions are my own.

Happy Valentine's Day, my beautiful friends! 

Over the years I've known people that love Valentine's Day and I've known people that loathe it. I've had friends that always celebrate, whether they're in a relationship or not, and I've had friends that want to lock themselves away and avoid the world for the entire day because seeing so much PDA is overwhelming...emotional...discouraging...or painful.

Personally, I've always been rather ambivalent towards the day. My mom always did a wonderful job of making it fun and special while my siblings and I were growing up - pink milk for breakfast and the most darling handmade Valentine's. Dad always brought Mom flowers and all of us some chocolate. It was fun, and a day we spent as a family.

As I got older, had a long-distance boyfriend, and then eventually met Michael, we dated long distance, and then finally got married. Valentine's Day was still nice, but I think I only ever celebrated it once. Michael and I love going on dates, but we cherish quieter dates where I'm not overwhelmed my swirling crowds of people all trying to get to the same place or waiting for the same table. While there's nothing wrong with celebrating on a designated day, and some people say not celebrating is copping out, Michael and I tend to celebrate quietly at home or just stick to our normal date routine. Or, even better, we celebrate and encourage our friends instead. (This was my favorite thing in college and has been trickier to incorporate over time, but something I still love doing.)

At the risk of rambling, that's one reason why I love this print by The Simple Perks. Not only is her calligraphy beautiful and the colors that she used for the globe so calming, but it's so applicable to so many parts of my life. The phrase "you are my world" can apply to my relationship with Michael and the little world we've created for the two of us. It can apply to my friends + family, whom I love dearly and am so thankful I have the chance to invite into my life. Or, it could apply to my neighbors, my country, or my literal world as we are united by our humanity, common struggles, an common needs in what can be a very strange and difficult universe sometimes. 

Our world is what we make of it, to some extent, and we have the power to see the bright side in the midst of a discouraging situation, to bring a smile to a friend's face who is walking through a tough time, or to take a moment to say a nice word to a stranger we pass in the store.

This print encourages me to offer everyone grace and love, something I feel like we could all use extra doses of right now. We all live in this world together, and it's worth it to help be part of shaping that world into a better, kinder place.

Have fun celebrating tonight (if you're celebrating), or enjoy your moments hidden away by yourself avoiding the world. Be safe, and be kind! xoxo

How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?