One Day is Not Enough

I'm not very good with numbers. That's why I went to law school. They told me there wouldn't be any math. But accountants know about numbers and when my accountant, Mike, talks numbers, I listen carefully.

Mike recently told me, "One is not enough. You need fourteen."
"Fourteen what?" I asked numbly, assuming he was referring to something like fourteen tax exemptions.

"Days", replied Mike. "One day is not enough to tell someone you love them. You need the fourteen days of Valentine."

I had heard of the twelve days of Christmas, but never the fourteen days of Valentine. I was intrigued and asked my CPA to itemize his deductions about Valentine's Day.

"People tend to rush through Valentine's Day," Mike explained. "They give a card or buy a box of candy, and it's over. That's why my wife and I started doing the fourteen days of Valentine. We buy small gifts or cards for each other and start giving them on February 1. That way, when Valentine's Day rolls around, we've had two weeks of hearing about our love for each other."

Mike said he really enjoys the reaction of store clerks when he explains why he's buying early Valentine's Day presents. The clerks think the idea is great and vow to do it for their loved one.

I have to admit, Mike has set a high standard for the rest of us. Most men think about Valentine's Day somewhere around 4:30 p.m. on February 13. We scramble around at the last minute trying to find red lingerie and a picked over greeting card. What if westarted a little Valentine's revolution and implemented Mike's fourteen day idea? What might happen?

***We might improve the economy by starting a new retail boomlet in late January. The fourteen day gift giving tradition could ignite a mini buying frenzy comparable to the one occurring just after Thanksgiving.

***We might find something to occupy our thoughts and conversations other than endless playoff games in the National Football League.

***Our loved ones might get the message that we care about them and that we didn't just buy something on February 14 out of a sense of obligation.

Here are some ideas that might work for your fourteen days of Valentine:
(1) Give words of affirmation. Each day from February 1 through the 14th give your loved one a note that tells one thing you like about him or her.
(2) Give one flower each day for the fourteen days. Attach a note with a complimentary word that describes your loved one.
(3) Give gifts with a theme for fourteen days. One man gave his wife a bracelet that said "Always" on it. In the days that followed he rented the movie "Always", gave her the song "Always and forever", sent her balloons with the word "Always" on them and bought her a desk plaque that read "Always". After fourteen days she got the message!
Mike is right. One day is not enough. This year, let's celebrate Valentine's Day for two weeks.

By Jim Priest