Thursday is Valentine's Day.

Whether you're singled or partnered (or some state in between), I just wanted to send a little note of encouragement to think creatively this week. Valentine's Day tends to get overshadowed by the romantic varieties of love, but focusing solely on this is so limiting, and there are so many opportunities to spread love in the world.

Really.

If you know of anyone who could use a little more love or appreciation in their life, now might be a wonderful time to express it. Think about creating a Valentine's gift or message for your family members—from your parents to anyone else in your extended family. You could make valentines for those who might never receive them—people in your past (regardless of whether or not they're still living), say, for whom you might not have expressed your love—just as an exercise in appreciation. Or come up with a number of little cards to leave on the windshields of strangers' cars. :)

You might write a note of thanks to a former teacher. You could drop anonymous hearts (addressed to 'You') in public places. You could try to think of the one person in the world who might most need to feel loved, and come up with a valentine for them.

And there's no need to limit these letters to the human realm... last year, when Gaia Community was still Zaadz, plenty of you wrote beautiful love-letters to the planet as a whole. So why not write a note to Gaia (either the Earth as a whole or the community to which you belong) again?

There are always flowers, too... imagine sending an anonymous bouquet to your sister's office, or your best friend's front door. (Just make sure you use someone like Organic Bouquet. The commercial floral industry is painfully unsustainable and chemical-ridden, and supporting a business like OB goes a long way in demonstrating that we as a society do care about such things. If you're in a relationship where your sweetie expects a few roses, please think about sending an environmentally-conscious variety—and spreading the word, too, about this healthier option. And if you use this link, you'll be helping us out, too.)

You could also plant flowers, or send yourself some... and speaking of yourself, please don't forget to give your own sweet heart a little extra care this week. I find that the best way for me to feel good is to do something that makes someone else's day better, but it helps to take the first step in remembering your own incredible value.

So take a deep breath, and take a minute to appreciate all you bring to the world. Remind yourself (please? for me?) that you're loved, and that you're capable of helping others feel the same way.

Amazing what a little pause can do, hm? :)

In love and gratitude and days-named-after-crazy-saints,
Siona
and the Gaia Team

PS. We've got our own surprise (shh... you didn't read this ;) coming up for Valentine's Day. This week, as planned, we'll be unveiling our Plus option—a 75¢-a-week ad-free site. Due to the date, though, we're including something extra: a resonance matching feature that we've been working on for some time. You know how Gaia vibrates with a certain 'you were meant to be here' quality? Well, this'll reveal out one possible answer to why you were drawn to the community.

But more on that soon. For now, just start thinking of ways you might bring just a little more love in the world around you. Someone once said, wisely, that there is enough love in each of us to save the whole world... and I can't help but believe that they're right.