Don’t think you have to eat out at a fancy restaurant. The tradition of eating someplace extraordinary requires reservations and yes, waiting, because so many other people are doing the same thing on Valentine’s Day.

You can instead eat at a smaller eatery, or eat in-house. You can have a simple healthy meal with maybe a special dessert, shared. At home, lighting one candle on the table offers a quietude more fitting for your Valentine, than sitting in a crowded restaurant.

Don’t buy chocolate for someone with a weight problem. Food is a temptation and love doesn’t tempt us, but encourages us to be moderate and nourishing.

Give flowers or a thoughtful card to your Valentine. You can even make the card.

Don’t expect sex. Love is not sex and expecting sex cheapens it. If there is no sex, disappointment seeps into the psyche and ruins Valentine’s Day.

Instead, appreciate the spiritual qualities of integrity, patience, and compassion in your Valentine and if sex happens, you will appreciate the intimacy and yourself.

Don’t get down on yourself. Not everyone has a Valentine in its narrow definition and that is okay.

Love yourself as God loves you. You are worthy of joy and wellbeing, gently and permanently bestowed on you by God. Your relationship with God, by default, is a relationship with infinite Love.

Happy Valentine’s Day.