February 9, 2016 5 more days until VALENTINE’S DAY (just sayin’)
At the end of my last post, I promised to discuss alternatives to those sugary, sweet, delectable, delicious, chocolate delights. You know the ones — that fill a box the size of New Jersey and are the shape of a beautifully wrapped red heart! Marketing gurus would have us believe that this product symbolizes LOVE, and is obligatory. You’re too smart for that.
LOVE is defined, in the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, as “a feeling of constant affection for a person.” Dictionary.com refers to LOVE as “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” Lastly, and MY all time favorite definition of LOVE is from the Urban Dictionary — “Love is nature’s way of tricking people into reproducing.” (Anonymous, April 7, 2003) 🙂 Now THAT’S funny! 🙂
So, I’ve given you a few of the ways love is defined and NOWHERE is a heart-shaped box of candy mentioned. NOWHERE!
My goal in writing today’s post, is to speak to the issue of alternatives to candy, heart-shaped cakes, cookies, and the like. I’ll give you some HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES to expressing one’s undying love for another that won’t raise anyone’s BLOOD SUGAR.
What says I LOVE YOU more deeply than showing someone that their HEALTH is more important to you than anything else? Here are a few GLUCOSE-FREE IDEAS that will fare as a much better symbol of your LOVE than a box of chocolates: (Drum roll, please) —
Starting out with some GENDER-NEUTRAL, GLUCOSE-FREE gifts:
JEWELRY always wins — a watch, cuff-links, heart-shaped locket (Get creative!)
PERFUME or COLOGNE
MASSAGE Gift Certificate (Maybe a couple’s massage…)
HEART-SHAPED container filled with bright red, fresh STRAWBERRIES!
THEATER or CONCERT TICKETS — something you’d BOTH enjoy!
For the WRITER in your life, consider a RUBY-RED JOURNAL — maybe paired with a beautiful RED PEN! (I see that as “gender-neutral”)
FLOWERS, of course. By the way, they don’t HAVE to be red but, for some reason, that color seems to get the message across on this “particular” day.
For the MAN in your life — you know exactly what his likes and dislikes are: TICKETS TO A SPORTING EVENT, CAR/BOAT SHOW, MUSIC., etc., etc. (I know you KNOW! — and you can show you’re love by being sure they’re GLUCOSE FREE!
Some GLUCOSE FREE ideas for that special WOMAN you hold near and dear:
A beautiful, bright red, leather PURSE (or maybe GLOVES? That will get you some Ooo’s and Ahh’s. What says LOVE better than leather???
LINGERIE — RED, of course. (Hmmm. Who’s that gift really for?) 🙂
A gift certificate for a MANICURE/PEDICURE — with a bottle of a beautiful shade of red nail polish (chosen by you) attached to it.
It’s easy to SAY, “I love you,” but not always as easy to SHOW it. One important factor to consider is your budget — stay within it! There’s nothing sexy about debt.
Oops! I almost forgot. If you have children (yours or someone else’s) to whom you wish to express your LOVE, there are a zillion ways to choose GLUCOSE FREE gifts for them. Whether they’re diabetic or not, nobody needs junk food. Cruise around any department store, there are hearts everywhere!!! Oh, and remember, BOOKS are always a great gift for ANYONE!
For those of you who feel that Valentine’s Day is a bourgeois symbol of LOVE, a Hallmark Holiday, or one created by the chocolate companies, you may be right! But, be careful — be sure you’re both on the same page… for love — IS — in the air!
Get on it, folks. The “big” day is just around the corner.
Oh, and one more suggestion — a nice walk, with the one you love, at the end of the evening = sheer joy!
A Happy and Healthy Valentine’s Day, to all!
Diary of a Dedicated Diabetic 