Advice for Remy, Day 45. Never stop making an effort for the people you love. Today’s the day when all the cynics come out. You’ll find them all over social media, complaining about how ridiculous it is that people buy into a blatant commercialisation perpetuated by a conglomerate of Clinton’s Cards, Cadbury’s, and whoever grows red roses. They’ll be ridiculing people for making an effort for their loved ones, at the same time planning to buy shares in a florist to capitalise on what they perceive to be the stupidity of others. Now I have to admit, there is something equal parts peculiar and sweet when you see a young lad in Waitrose in his dirty work clothes, desperately trying to work out which flowers to get for his girlfriend, clearly not able to tell his Alstroemeria from his elbow. But I salute that young lad (let’s call him Callum - he looks like a Callum). You should never stop making an effort for those you love, or else that way lies stale and taken-for-granted relationships. Okay, you don’t have to buy into the cheesy heart-shaped box of chocolates, or any of the other tacky crap produced specifically to prise money out of you in the middle of February. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take it as an opportunity just to make a bit of an effort, and make time for the one you love. We all have busy schedules and busy lives, and these things can sometimes slip by the wayside, through nobody’s fault or neglect. So why not can the cynicism, set some time aside and do something nice together. Make a card, pick some flowers, cook a meal, go for a walk, watch that film you’ve been meaning to watch forever. It’s the little things that mean the most.
