Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.

I recently read this editorial in Time Magazine, which traces the dubious historical roots of Valentine’s Day, and argues that as adults we should just ditch the whole holiday. While I don’t wholeheartedly (*rimshot*) agree with its conclusion, I can’t dispute its central argument: love can’t be scheduled on a calendar, and romance born of duty isn’t romance at all. As the author astutely puts it, “for those who feel well loved, every day, of course, is Valentine’s. For the rest, no card can console.”

Today, my hubby will get this handmade pillow. It’s filled with brown rice and can be heated in the microwave and used for easing aches and pains or warming up on these cold February nights. It’s a very simple project– it took me less than thirty minutes to put together. If you’d like to make this for one of your loved ones, check out this simple tutorial that I used as my starting point. (I changed the dimensions a bit and added a ribbon loop, but Blair’s tutorial is perfect just as it is.)

If it’s too late for you to get this done in time for Valentine’s Day, that’s just as well. Your loving gesture will be appreciated all the more when it’s completely unexpected. That said, I think Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to do something nice for the one you love, and to wax romantic… as long as you remember to be sweet to your sweetie tomorrow too, and the day after that.

Ben Kweller, “Until I Die”