To Do 02.11.21

STOP PLAYING: secret admirer.

Leave the mysteries for the novels, if you’re still playing games during the pandemic, now is the perfect time to tell your crush how you really feel about them. You can hide behind the backdrop of a cheesy Valentine’s gesture, like sending them a sweet treat or some flowers. If they reject you, guess what? We’re all stuck at home anyway. What are they going to do? Tell you no from a screen? We’ve already thrown away 90 percent of social norms to the wind. Why not throw this one out the window too?

SET UP: A romantic date, or friend date.

Dating hasn’t died. It’s alive, well and getting more creative than ever. A date during a pandemic can mean ordering in a romantic dinner from the many Valentine’s menu options available at local restaurants (see story). It can mean having a long-overdue happy hour over Zoom with your best friend. Save Our Shores is doing a different kind of happy hour with cocktails, cupcakes and trivia on Thursday, Feb. 11 from 6-8pm to raise funds for the group. Tickets start at $35, at saveourshores.org. Or celebrate animal love, and take your dog on a long walk. Then come home and give your dog a good cuddle. Wherever you land, think outside-of-the-box and remember even relationships we take for granted need nurturing from time-to-time.

SEND: a candy-gram or card.

Grand gestures for one person are nice, but those we love often number more than just one person. Candy-grams and cards are a great way to show your love to all the people in your life while also reintroducing a bit of grade school nostalgia when students brought Valentine’s cards for everyone in the class. You can find a 20-pack of cards at big box stores, but if you’re up for the creative challenge, make your own and embellish them in your own artistic way.

LOVE: thyself.

After a barrage of winter holidays, and the slow crawl that was the month of January, it’s time to give ourselves a break from pleasing others and focus on ourselves. Especially if you have nothing planned for Valentine’s week, perhaps you can reclaim the time for yourself. Indulge in some quiet time by reading, or take a long bath. Make your favorite dinner and watch your favorite movies and switch your social-animal brain off for a bit.