Tis the season for l’amour.

For bold, passionate, sexy red. Soft, comforting, sweet pink.

For sweet, tempting chocolate. Fresh, clean flowers with silky, curling petals.

For lacy, pretty, luscious.

The good stuff of Valentine’s Day tickles the senses. It can be simple. Simply good stuff.

Or it can be a level of fancy good stuff. The kind of good stuff where the spirit of Valentine’s Day is about helping our loved ones out with a little self-care. Spa visits, massage appointments, weekend getaways. At home foot rubs.

Simple. Good. Stuff.

There is a lot of rhetoric out there that is down on Valentine’s Day. My practice husband (yes, I needed practice before I got it right) caustically referred to it as a “Hallmark Holiday” and claimed that it was a waste of time and money. He would buy me flowers that he wasn’t happy about buying. Because everyone else bought their wives flowers.

I would spend the next three days with a terrible sinus headache until I threw out the blooming culprits. Oy vey.

Shout out to Brian, my permanent husband. Thanks for paying attention the first time I mentioned that getting me flowers is a bad idea.

I get that anti-commercialism stuff. That big-brother-just-wants-us-to-spend-money attitude and that keeping up with the Jones’s silliness.

But hot damn, when I watch the news, or read the paper, I usually feel so bad that I want a shot of something good. I can find this in my kids smiles, the sound of their breathing at night, the way I feel after a run, or the click-clack of my keys on the keyboard.

And I find it in the days that we celebrate being human, loving one another, and the roles that we play. If you’ve got a Valentine, a Mom, Dad, Grandparent, Sister, Brother, or Pet, there is at least one day a year that will remind you to celebrate that person, share a little love, and give a little gratitude.

A wise woman once told me that life is all about relationships. At the end of the day, what else do we have besides what we build with other people? And we get lots of chances to work on what really matters.

Go ahead, take your shot. Give yourself and the people you love a dose of Valentine goodness this week. You might feel a little pinch at first, but that is perfectly normal. It’s the sensation of slowing down and stepping away from routine for just a second. Don’t run from it. Don’t deny yourself this chance to celebrate. To feel gratitude for the people you love. To tell them how you feel.

Take your shot of the good stuff.

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Sara Marchessault is a coach, writer, and mom who helps busy women use journaling to create more space in their life for being productive without feeling overwhelmed. To learn more about Sara and her work in the world, please visit saramarchessault.com.