Finding healing in all places: Checking out the St. Louis breakfast spot Rooster, whose owner asked local elementary school kids to create chicken art for the walls! Richard and Amy love finding positive community connections all over the country, this time at the Association of Play Therapy’s annual conference in 2022. PHOTO BY RICHARD BRANDON[/caption]

“I want to be more like my aunt,” Penelope burst out. I love how teens make themselves at home in our office. Her backpack, coat, gloves, sweater, water bottle, mug of tea, and snacks were strewn about, and she was hanging off of the chair in a half yoga pose.

“Which aunt is this?” I asked. Penelope came from a big family, and I had a hard time keeping everyone straight.

“My great-aunt in Louisiana. She’s single, does whatever she wants, uber popular, has a boyfriend on-call, and is always out hitting the hot spots.”

“A great-aunt? How old is she?” I wondered out loud. I was picturing a 90-year-old woman dancing in the clubs.

“Who knows? Who cares!” shouted Penelope from her upside down position. “She’s rockin’ it!”

“Whatcha doing?” I asked Tom. He was pulling out every conceivable art supply and was spreading it out on the kid-sized table in the middle of the room.

“Valentine’s Day is coming up,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“Are you making something for a special friend?” I asked warily, unsure of his reaction.

“So, a bunch of girls in my class liked this other kid, and they were all hoping he wanted to be their boyfriend, but then he just told everyone yesterday that he has a girlfriend in California, and so they’re all sad.”

“Wow!” was all I could think to say at the moment. Tom had started making eight different stations, all with red or pink paper, glitter, stickers, markers, and feathers.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked.

“I’m making each of them a valentine, so they don’t feel so sad anymore,” Tom explained patiently, as he began drawing a bird on one.

“Tom, I think that’s the nicest thing I ever heard of,” I said.

“I’m just being a good friend. You cheer up your friends when they’re sad, don’t you?” he asked, looking at me, wide-eyed.

“Monday is the library, Tuesday the animal shelter, Wednesday at the preschool, Thursday on a trail cleanup team, and Saturday at the soup kitchen.” Martha was listing out her weekly schedule to me.

“Wait, five days a week you are volunteering at different places?” I questioned her.

“Well, it depends on my health, but yes, that’s what I do. When I retired from teaching, I was lost. My job was my whole world, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. The love of my life died years ago, and we didn’t have children or grandchildren. I knew if I sat at home I’d just feel sorry for myself. So, I started with the library and it just grew from there!” Martha continued on, eyes bright and back straight, gesturing excitedly with her hands as she shared some of her favorite volunteer moments over the years.

Valentine’s Day, and thereby the month of February in general, can be difficult for so many. We can feel justified in railing against the card industry corporate culture and posting negative memes, sitting at home feeling sad and lonely, committing to a diet “tomorrow, once this pint of ice cream is gone,” or arguing with our partner about if a gift or plan is “romantic” enough. But what if instead we used it as a time to be inspired by folks around us? Limiting love to a holiday, a time of year, or type of expression means we miss out on the opportunity to connect with the world around us.

I’d love to hear about your experiences at amy@peaktopeakcounseling.com, 303- 258-7454, and you can always find past articles at www.peaktopeakcounseling.com or find us at www.facebook.com/ peaktopeakcounselingservices.