Valentine's Day in Montrose: Does It Only Have to be About Romance?

Ah, Valentine's Day. The one day a year dedicated to celebrating love. So why does that only seem to translate to in-a-relationship love?

Treating your husband or wife or significant other to a few extra "I love you"s, a bouquet or a dinner date is pretty standard and usually much appreciated (wink wink). But what about all those other people in your life who could use a little squeeze? Valentine's Day doesn't have to just be about husband-wife, boyfriend-girlfriend love.

So I hereby dedicate this Valentine's Day to spreading the love to all of those I may have neglected during past Valentine's Days.

Friends: I am hosting a Bachelor viewing party, making cupcakes and inviting my single girl friends over. We will talk about how awesome we all are instead of what we usually talk about: guys and what all their baffling actions seem to mean.

Pets: I will let my cat drink out of the toilet just this once.

Myself: I will look at my reflection in the mirror and say, "You are having a great hair day. I love you, self." Then I will treat myself to an entire salted chocolate bar that I bought at .

Family: I will call my mom and remind her that she looks amazing for a woman in her 50s and that I love her. Then I'll call my brother to tell him that I love him and his sense of humor and my dad to tell him that I love him, too.

Strangers: OK, I am not going to run up to a friendly-looking guy at the grocery store and yell, "It's fate! We have found each other! I love you!" But I will go out of my way to do something nice for a stranger, whether it's waving a waiting pedestrian across the street while I wait in my car a little longer, holding a door open for not one but five people, or complimenting a stranger on something they're wearing.

That's it. I am on a mission to spread all kinds of love today. Do you think you'll do the same? How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

For more Valentine's Day reading, check out our column profiling singles in Montrose and La Crescenta called . Also, check out our picks for .