1. Love is not exclusive to romantic couples. Love can include family, friends, animal companions, passions for humanity and causes in general. Loving is a selfless act that does not require an invite. Valentines Day, on the other hand, is often viewed by many as a couples only occasion.

2. Love is a purposeful lifetime commitment; a virtue. Valentines Day is more like the eagerly anticipated celebration you have in kindergarten where you gorge on candy hearts and sugary cupcakes. A short-lived sugar high.

3. Love is the silent acts of kindness exchanged by two or more people that’s not necessarily romantic in nature. Valentine’s Day often resembles a poker game where your hand is a surprise and your expectations are not necessarily in sync with reality. In the end you could end up winning big or leaving with even less than you started with. Love is more of a constant.

4. Love is not synonymous with a couples short lived honey moon phase; on Valentines Day many people expect to recreate a fireworks display so grand, the sky explodes on cue and blissfully rains rose pedals. Expecting or attempting to orchestrate any spontaneous event just because the calendar says so, is a long shot.

5. Loving blends with our every day lives and becomes an effortless endeavor. For some, Valentines Day can be prickly sharp, especially if their significant other has expectations that are unrealistic and/or out of sync with their own.

6. Love is bittersweet. It definitely has its peaks and valleys. Valentine’s Day in all its sweet glory is intended to rival a life-sized gummy bear that’s been dipped in molasses and rolled in pixie stick dust. It can be too much.

7. Love is a beautiful heartfelt emotion that’s free to give and receive. Valentine’s Day is mostly about stuff… even if it’s a fancy dinner; it’s bought and paid for.

8. Love is not boastful nor does it seek public validation on Facebook or Instagram. Valentine’s Day and all it’s materialistic shiny loot are plastered predictably all over social media in an attempt to earn acknowledgement. Insecurity is boastful and needy.

9. Love just happens. Valentine’s Day is a pre-planned event on the calendar that our society is not only conditioned, but pressured into acknowledging.

10. Loving awards one a higher level of satisfaction not found in receiving alone. When you give love it feels warm and fuzzy. Valentines Day on the other hand predictably results in masses of people feeling unloved and lonely, simply because they weren’t pampered within their expectations or are currently lacking the romantic interest of another.

Being part of a couple is not the key to happiness; LOVING within the confines of your present life and social situation are.

The key to happiness belongs to you.

Turn it and be Happy.