Walking into the mall, or the grocery store, you begin to see shades of red and pink lining the aisles. Stuffed bears, flower bouquets and giant boxes of chocolate could only mean one thing: the oh-so-dreaded Valentine’s Day is upon us.

Whether in a relationship or not, there are a lot of people who just don’t like Valentine’s Day. I will admit, I used to be one of those grumpy kids in school walking around the halls, giving every couple the evil eye, wishing that I had a boy that would give me attention like that, too. We’ve all been there. In fourth grade, I used to give a boy sweethearts candy every week, hoping that he would want me to be his valentine. As it turns out, he asked my best friend instead, and I was really disappointed. I thought that because I didn’t have a boy to be my valentine, that I couldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.

But then I would get off the bus with my bag of Valentine’s all of my friends gave me in school that day, and walk inside my house to see that my mom had a surprise waiting for me on the kitchen table. She always got me a card, a heart-shaped box of candy, and a stuffed animal. And I never really thought too much about what it meant until now; about how thoughtful it was for her to do that. I never considered how incredibly wrong I was before.

Valentine’s Day isn’t exclusively a “romantic” holiday. It’s the love of all beautiful things and people in this world. Don’t you remember handing out Valentine’s to everyone in elementary school? I’m sure you didn’t have crushes on all of them! That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about - expressing your appreciation and love for your friends, family, and loved ones in your life. Not solely for significant others.

Valentine’s Day is not about receiving material items. It’s a day completely dedicated to showing the people in your life how much they mean to you. How could anyone not love that? It’s a simple day serving as a reminder that caring for one another is important every day of the year.

So stop sulking, get off your grumpy butt, and go tell someone you love them. Anyone. Your mom, your dad, your friends, your cat, your mailman...okay maybe not your mailman, but you catch my drift. Get out there and fill up someone’s heart, and your own, with kindness, grace and compassion.