1.  A 40 Things post on lovey dovey celebration day?

2.  Alrighty then. Let’s go.

3.  Let me say right up front: whoever you love, however you love, whether or not you choose to love, I see and appreciate you.

4.  I feel like we’d all be better off if we simply value people for who they are.

5.  Just a thought on this day dedicated to, y’know, LOVE.

6.  Given our current climate this is when the hollering would commence.

7.  More DEI crap! What about good old Christian values? Why do *I* have to accept a lifestyle that’s an abomination??

8.  Blessssss.

9.  You know what’s interesting about loving humanity?

10.  You don’t have to understand it first.

11.  As an example, I don’t understand radical Christianity.

12.  Not so much the wildly enthusiastic about Jesus folks, more the “join my religion or you’re a threat to the fabric of society” folks.

13.  I also don’t understand wicca, Jainism, Taoism, or voodoo.

14.  I’ve read about them but that’s not the same as truly understanding the experiences of their followers.

15.  Yet I’ve never felt the need to question someone’s humanity because their lived experience is different from mine.

16.  I’d like to think on this day of 💛 l-o-v-e 💛 we could try practicing acceptance not dependent on understanding or agreement.

17.  Has Hallmark got a card like that?

18.  Anytime I talk like this without fail someone will ask impossible questions like well, Laura, what about serial killers?

19.  I beg of you, please don’t ask me to dissect the complexity of loving humanity while facing evil.

20.  “Evil” sounds super judgy but still…

21.  I’m choosing not to launch into a dissertation on my pithy 40 Things post.

22.  Thank you for your understanding.

23.  If not your understanding then your acceptance will do.

24.  See what I did there? Mmm hmm.

25.  Anyway, ’tis the day when cupids reign supreme.

26.  If you’re a long term follower you’ve heard we’re not real big on Valentine’s Day around here.

27.  Could it be my instinctive aversion to being told what to do? Maybe.

28.  Don’t tell me when to celebrate my stinking love, dammit.

29.  Yeah, no issues with authority here.

30.  I just pulled up this post I wrote in 2017: what valentines would look like if I wrote for Hallmark.

31.  An excerpt:

You know how the dog
shoves her head up under your chin
then digs her paws
into your ribcage
so she can burrow in further?
This is my love for you.
And the dog.
It’s my love for you and the dog.
But mostly you.
(Don’t tell Phoebe.)

32.  Still a fan.

33.  Caught on the news that chocolates will be more expensive this year because…um…hold that thought…

34.  Most of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa where “changing climate patterns have farmers dealing with extreme weather and sick trees.” (NPR)

35.  It’s the third year cocoa harvests are deficient. That makes those cocoa beans pretty pricy and chocolate makers are raising their own prices to compensate.

36.  Bad news for people addicted to their traditional box of chocolates.

37.  I vote we embrace alternative goodies as needed.

38.  Valentines milkshakes, pound cakes, and cookies for everyone!

39.  So in the spirit of the day tell someone you love them. Your friend, your family, your partner, your child — let them know how much they mean to you.

40.  I appreciate every last one of you. Thank you for spending time on the blog and happy Valentine’s day.