Four Ways to Have an Uplifting Valentine's Day

As February begins, Kaleidoscope would like to make a spin on celebrating a month that is typically dedicated to a specific kind of love. Although the love we see in movies and TV shows  may be wonderful, we are looking beyond the association of Valentine’s Day with that type of love in order to celebrate connections of all kinds this month—with family, friends, community, school, hobbies, work, and others that we may even be unaware of.

At Kaleidoscope, our mission is to provide affirming support to LGBTQ+ teens, young adults, and their families. Our events and programming help build community and connection among people who support the LGBTQ+ community.

Four Ways to Have an Uplifting Valentine’s Day

In keeping with the theme of celebrating connections, Kaleidoscope would like to share the idea of having an uplifting Valentine’s Day. When we say uplifting, we propose considering the different kinds of people in your life, how you connect to them, and how you can express gratitude for their presence in your life. Oftentimes, we tend to focus on hoping that various forms of love come our way.  Actually, an amazing thing can happen when we shift our focus to the various forms of love that we can send out!  Our experience shows that when we take a moment of our time to contribute to someone else’s day in a positive way, we also feel good about ourselves.

• A simple and thoughtful way of doing this is by giving a Thank You note or card to a teacher or a coworker for believing in you and being supportive (or in whichever way they have been helpful–the more specific the better!)
• If you are in an environment with many people, another way to be a light in that context is to share a treat (extra points if you make it yourself) or candy with those in your surroundings.
• Random acts of kindness can go tremendously far. Take the time to tell that person you see every day, but might not talk to or know well, that you like their shoes.
• Making a list of at least five things about yourself that you like gives you time to reflect and recognize that you are a person worth love and care. If you have trouble with this, think back in time to something you did that helped someone else.

From all of us at Kaleidoscope, have a great month celebrating all the wonderful connections you have in your life!