My mother asked me what I was doing for my wife to celebrate Valentine's Day.
"Nothing," I replied, "We don't celebrate Valentine's Day."
And we really don't: no chocolates, cards, flowers, or gifts.
My wife and I decided years ago that the holiday was too commercial for our tastes, and agreed we wouldn't celebrate the holiday in a traditional fashion. (Instead, we made up our own tradition.)
When my mother began to protest on behalf of romantics everywhere, I asked her a simple question: "Remind me, Mom, why do we celebrate Saint Valentine every year? What exactly did he do?"
My mother is a smart woman, and she knew exactly what I was doing. So she cheekily replied while laughing, "He bought flowers and chocolates for his wife, I think."
I know for a fact that at one point in time, my Catholic mother knew exactly what Saint Valentine's had actually done, and why we celebrate the day in his honour the way we do.
But I also knew that she wouldn't remember any of the details.
When you do something a certain way for so long that it becomes ritual, it's not uncommon to forget how or why the ritual started in the first place.
But if you don't know why you're doing something yet continue to do it anyway, there's a chance it may not be the best use of your time and effort.
Be intentional, and focus on what matters.
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