Valentine’s Celebration: The Essential Elements
February 06, 2007
Contributing Writer: Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach
“If thou must love me, let it
be for nought, Except for
love's sake only.” (Elizabeth
Barrett Browning)
How can you please your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day? Let us count the ways …
Music
“Sweet, can I sing you the song of your kisses?” (Symon)
Music will set that relaxed and romantic mood you want. It evokes feelings and memories like nothing short of scents. Suit the music to the tastes of your lady. For this, you will have had to pay attention. If you don’t know now, there’s time for you to find out. Pay attention to what she listens to on the radio and take a look at her CD collection. Surely the two of you have “your song”?
When in doubt, go classical. Opera, for instance, has been around longer than most institutions on earth. For a reason.
Resources
Popular romantic songs (if “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by the King won’t do).
Romantic movies to rent … “Casablanca,” “Princess Bride,” “Ghost.”
Andrea Bocelli probably deserves his own slot, he pleases such a wide range of tastes, and his songs are so romantic. Try (of course) “Romanza.” Or my personal favorite, Viaggio Italiano, featuring “Piscatore ‘E Pusilleco” (swoon).
The Opera Band, “Amici Forever,” which you surely will be, and more. “Senza Catene” … I’d be putty in his hands.
Food & Drink
“Drink to me only with thine
eyes, And I will pledge with
mine; Or leave a kiss but in the cup,
And I'll not look for
wine.” (Johnson)
Beautifully presented, teasing to the palate, pleasing to the eye, and easy on the digestion. Gentlemen, no matter how much you like a big steak and baked potato, this isn’t the time. You want something light enough so you don’t fall asleep afterwards. After eating, I mean (smile).
Resources
How to set the mood for your Valentine’s dinner for two.
Two fabulously romantic menus with recipes.
How about the “Arise My Love” cocktail? Or a dry martini shaken to waltz time? Go here.
Food alleged to be aphrodisiacs? See this.
Seafood. “Aphrodisiac” comes from Aphrodite, who rose from the sea herself. You can always start with the legendary raw oyster … remember that scene from “Tom Jones”?
Licorice. Stimulates female sex glands, bringing oxygen to important areas 40% faster.
Pumpkin pie or seeds. Increases blood flow to important male areas 40% faster.
Chocolate.
Champagne. My preference. Presented in a classic red box? See this.
Fresh pomegranate seeds in the salad.
Aroma
“How much better is your love
than wine, and the smell of
your ointment than all spices!”
Aromas add to the total ambiance. Scented candles, and scented massage oil can also add to the occasion. Some ladies make it a point to wear a touch of the same cologne for each love-making session (like Pavlov’s dog!)
Resources
Scents men like: Cinnamon, popcorn, pumpkin pie and doughnuts. Vanilla, lavender and jasmine.
Scents women like: Melon, chocolate, bread. Musk, orange blossom and sandalwood.
Flowers
“When the odorous red-rose
petals part, That my lips may
find their way to the heart.”
(Symons)
Flowers are the language of love. There are those who fill hotel rooms with rose petals or send 2 or 3 dozen to the office. However, and this is from someone who hears from lots of women, there is nothing, NOTHING like seeing your guy standing at your door with a single red rose, which he presents with that special look in his eyes – a request, a plea, a yearning. Not a demand.
Less is more.
Attire
“And this in a point I
snatch, and capture; That in the
ecstasy of rapture.”
Symons
Ladies, how about something elusive, that moves and flows, and suggests of the hunt? Leopard skin yeah, okay, but there’s something better. Men are visual, but, because they are born to hunt, they track (“draw a bead,” we say in Texas). What catches their eye is lines and movement (like your cat, okay?) Something just slipping away, just out of reach is especially enticing. I have this little pink handkerchief hemmed frou-frou that drives my cat nuts. Get the picture? Get ready for a pounce!
Guys? Dress for the occasion, clean and neat, well-groomed and like you tried. And a little touch of “heart” would be nice – a special tie, a red cummerbund ...
Resources
Valentine’s neck ties, socks and braces for the guys, scarves for the ladies.
Pink handkerchief hemmed skirt, aptly described as “flirty” and very affordable.
Poetry and the Spoken Word
“My verse your virtues rare shall eternize, And in the heavens write your glorious name.” (Edmund Spenser)
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…” and other great Romantic poetry.
Want to have an emotionally intelligent Valentine’s Day? Learn more about those wonderful emotions, how to handle them, engage them, manage them, enjoy them! Learn how not to extinguish them – the anguish! Take the EQ Foundation Course: www.susandunn.cc/courses.htm.
Valentine’s Day is all about love. If you do it, do it with heart, do it for love! “That love is all there is, Is all we know of Love.” (Emily Dickinson)
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©Susan Dunn, MA, Professional Life Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc. Individual coaching, EQ programs for businesses, EQ and health coach certification, ebooks, and nutraceuticals, http://susandunn.myarbonne.com.
for total health and balanced living. Enhance your MLM by becoming a certified coach. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE eZine. Join Club Vivo Per Lei/I Live for Music and get some romantic classics – www.susandunn.cc/vivoperlei.htm.
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