Love on a Budget

You don't have to hire a sky-writer to announce your feelings to the world for that one special person in the world to you. You can write a note on a post-it. It is small. It is intimate. It is personal. It is real. It is your commitment. It is in your own words and needn't be shared with anyone else. Take poetic license. It is your message of love. It can be scribbled across a napkin and tucked into a lunchbox. It is your choice, your creation, your declaration. It is your vow.

You needn't buy the biggest bouquet of flowers to express your love for another. You can pick one buttercup from a field. You can place one dandelion in a pickle jar. You can draw flowers on a scratchpad. You can tell your beloved that her face is prettier than an English countryside filled with blushing pink roses.

You can compliment your beloved's perfume or the scent of her hair, freshly washed, stepping out of a shower. You can inhale her essence and tell her how you take comfort in knowing that she shares it with you and you only.

The biggest heart-shaped box of chocolates cannot replace the sweetness of a gesture, meaningful compliment or act of kindness. One crimson-colored lipstick heart, lovingly drawn on the bathroom mirror, goes far beyond any store bought trinket, for it speaks of what is in your heart not what is in your wallet. One homemade, pink icing-covered cupcake is as sweet as an entire box of chocolates. It is baked with love. It is the secret ingredient. You can taste it.

As February 14th approaches, think about what you are feeling and how you care to express your feelings: with words, acts of kindness, in writing or in silent companionship. Then think about this ... there are 364 more days in the year. February 14th is just one of them. One day to express love and devotion to another. Love on a budget need never end. The well does not run dry. It is full. It is available. It is real. It quenches love's thirsty needs. Drink with gusto from the well of true feelings. Share your well with your special one. True love does not rely on a swollen bank account. Love on a budget is grand. Love on a budget is special.