Celebrate EVERY Day - Have a Heart

That precious pudgy angel Cupid will arrive with his bow for VALENTINE’S DAY on FEBRUARY 14. Celebrate by showing your affection. Buy a card or make one yourself. Tokens of love like a pretty bouquet from A Courtyard Florist or jewelry from Joseph Jewelers are always appreciated, as are special dinner plans or a box of chocolates. If you don’t have a Valentine, February 14 is also NATIONAL CREAM-FILLED CHOCOLATES DAY, so you can pick some up to celebrate that occasion instead. And there are other days dedicated to love that don’t require a partner.

Thanks to Leslie Knope, on FEBRUARY 13 women have an opportunity to get together the day before Valentine’s Day to celebrate their love for each other with GALENTINE’S DAY. What does the Amy Poehler character from Parks and Recreation have to do with it? Episode 107 of the sixth season featured the annual Galentine’s Day party Leslie threw for her girlfriends. Due to the show’s pop appeal, Galentine’s Day caught on in the real world, and by 2017 several national businesses were promoting the celebration. Now, it’s a thing. Thanks, Leslie. You’d be invited to our Galentine’s Party for sure! 

Galentine’s Day festivities allow women of all walks of life to share triumphs, obstacles overcome, and to just kick back, and enjoying being women! This day is for the ladies to chat, eat, drink, and celebrate their love for each other. If you can’t gather in person, hold a Zoom Wine Tasting Party! Women will find a way! 

For those missed by or actively avoiding Cupid, there’s NATIONAL SINGLES AWARENESS DAY on FEBRUARY 15. It’s a day to shake off old stereotypes of bachelor playboys, lonely spinsters, and fifth wheels, and to highlight the value of singles in society. Singles have more job flexibility than employees with spouses or partners to consider and can often travel on demand. They make awesome friends, workout buddies, and community volunteers. Many also act as important caregivers focusing their attention on a parent or raising a child or grandchild. So, if you’re a single, don’t fret about not having a Valentine, use this day to bring home flowers you actually like, pick-up your favorite take-out for dinner, or treat yourself to a massage. Give your single friends a shout and let them know you appreciate them too. No chubby cherub needed! 

Love and friendship go hand-in-hand. On FEBRUARY 1, you can celebrate NATIONAL MAKE A FRIEND DAY by taking the opportunity to meet someone new and start a new friendship. This day recognizes that friends serve an important role in our lives by providing us with companionship and support. Making new friends can introduce us to new perspectives, challenge us to try different experiences, and connect us to opportunities. Keeping our circle of friends diverse and encompassing people of all ages and cultural backgrounds broadens our horizons and enriches our lives. With today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to connect with new people, so reach out! 

NATIONAL SEND A CARD TO A FRIEND DAY on FEBRUARY 7 encourages us to nurture our friendships by sending a personal note or message on a card to the friends we hold dear. Sending cards is a practice that dates back to ancient times, with history showing that the Chinese and Egyptians both sent elegantly designed messages. Using greeting cards for specific holidays and events gained popularity during the Renaissance and became even more common in Victorian times. Research shows that even in this digital age, 80% of adults still purchase cards. St. Simons Drug Co. has a fantastic selection of fun cards so go pick out a few and throw them in the mail. Your friends will love you for it. They may not be quite as excited about you trying to show your affection on NATIONAL SHOWER WITH A FRIEND DAY! Luckily, that FEBRUARY 5 holiday is just a tongue-in-cheek way that New Wave Enviro came up with to educate people about the benefits of showering in filtered, chlorine-free water and provide a little humor during this cold winter month.  

Everybody knows a grouch, an old curmudgeon, or someone who wakes up grumpy. If you don’t, it might be you! On FEBRUARY 16, you can turn their frown upside down on NATIONAL DO A GROUCH A FAVOR DAY. This is just a simple call to kindness that takes into consideration those people we might not ordinarily reach out to, but who might need that kindness more than we know. We all know how it is to have bad days, so this is your opportunity to help improve their mood, and probably your own too. Indulging in a little extra yard work or baking an extra batch of cookies or asking whether you can pick up any groceries can go a long way! 

And why not let that inspire you to continue with a whole week of good deeds? FEBRUARY 17 begins RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS WEEK. Created in the friendly city of Denver, Colorado in 1995, Random Acts of Kindness Day promoted changing schools, the workplace, families, and society through kindness. This push for positivity expanded to Random Act of Kindness Week in 2018 and has spawned a website (randomactsofkindness.org) chock-full of inspiring stories and concrete ideas of random acts of kindness that you might perform. Not only will your kindness help others, psychiatrists say it also has benefits for you. Kind acts make you happier and fuel your personal energy and self-esteem. This decreases the harmful chemicals in your body and can actually help you live longer. Having a heart is good for your heart!  

The American Heart Association proclaimed February as NATIONAL HEART MONTH and uses this month to promote awareness that anyone can be at risk for heart disease. Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles put us at risk at a younger age, with obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking all increasing the risk factors.

This is the month to concentrate on taking steps to that will decrease those risks. Get moving with daily exercise. Even walking the dog and taking the stairs instead of an elevator are an improvement if you can’t make it to a gym. Walking is one of the healthiest and safest activities you can do for yourself. It’s also important to remove stress from your life. In today’s world that might be a near impossible task, so try to find stress-relievers to counteract it. Long baths, massage sessions, yoga are all great ways to combat stress. Quit smoking. Even if you’ve tried before and failed. Keep trying until it sticks! Eat more fruits and veggies. Reduce the amount of fast food and sugary drinks you consume.  Even small changes help make a difference. If you haven’t talked to your doctor about heart health and your risk factors, take the opportunity to do that this month.  

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in women. The American Heart Association started the Go Red for Women campaign in 2004 to raise awareness about women’s heart health. NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY is observed on the first Friday in February as part of their annual campaign to raise awareness. They estimate that heart disease and stroke kill one in every three women and 80% of these deaths may be preventable, according to data at goredforwomen.org. Wear red, on FEBRUARY 5, the brighter the better. If people compliment you on the color or ask you why you’ve got on the jaunty cherry-red scarf, be sure to explain why. Maybe it can help save a life.  

On FEBRUARY 19 dedicate some love to the people dedicated to caring for the ones we love. NATIONAL CAREGIVERS DAY was founded by Providers Association for Home Health & Hospice Agencies in 2015 to honor health care professionals across the country providing long-term and hospice care. Caregivers provide vital services and support, often during long and demanding days, to the patients who need it most and the families who love them. Surprise the caregivers in your life with a goody bag or a special basket of their favorite treats. Slip a restaurant or coffee shop gift card inside a note of thanks. If you’d like to see how you can help make the load lighter for the caregivers at our local hometown hospice, Hospice of the Golden Isles, consider volunteering or becoming a member of their Auxiliary. For more information, visit their website at hospice.me.

Another type of caregiver that deserves a shout-out in February is our lady docs. NATIONAL WOMEN PHYSICIANS DAY on FEBRUARY 3 honors the path that female doctors have paved throughout the years. The day is celebrated on birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States in 1849. She initiated the movement that helped women gain entry and equality in the field of medicine. Celebrate the day by binging on old seasons of Grey’s Anatomy to see those women at work! 

FEBRUARY 14 isn’t just for lovers, it’s NATIONAL DONOR DAY too. Established in 1998, this day is to highlight the importance of the role that organ donors play in saving lives each year and to thank those who give. It’s estimated that more than 120,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for life-saving organ donation and approximately every two seconds there’s someone in the country who needs blood. Every type of donation, whether organs, tissue, marrow, blood, or platelets, is a gift of life. Honor the day by looking into becoming a donor at organdonor.gov. Even easier, find a nearby blood drive location by searching redcrossblood.org or oneblood.org and go donate, if you can. Not only do you get to feel good about helping others, but you also get a thank you gift for your donation and might even be able to register to win prizes. At the least, you’ll get cookies!