Valentine's Day

Is shoveling snow setting you on edge? Are you wishing for balmy days in Sochi, Russia, instead of never-ending dreary winters in New York and New Haven? Well, at least it will be Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Lovers across the world can warm up their credit cards by purchasing expensive baubles or skate across icy streets to Walgreens for tokens of affection. Perhaps they may snuggle in expensive restaurant booths (booked months in advance, of course) or simply give one another an affectionate hug after a hard day at the office. Ah, the release of oxytocin in response to the Christian saint, St. Valentine’s, martyrdom is sure to melt away stresses related to children, finances, elderly parents, and life. Singletons may renew their dating website memberships, brush past the scary headlines of toxic relationships, erase memories of breakups (or worse, murders – think Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp), and take another stab (no pun intended) at love.

Tech-savvy millennials may use one of a host of new mobile dating apps to attract the attention of a stranger across a crowded floor or get an edge on a model-lookalike competing for the affections (and perhaps swiping away at the same time) of that rare Manhattan breed – the eligible bachelor. On the other hand, if having a smartphone with you on Valentine’s Day will simply be the last nail in the coffin of your current relationship, it may be time to seek other alternatives. While you may balk at the idea of booking a trip to the Caribbean Islands (no money) or taking that longed-for cruise (diarrhea may put a damper on resuscitating romance), it is possible that grandma and grandpa who have been married for fifty years or more, may have some secrets to share with you. If they are anything like the old couple from the movie, Nebraska, you may ignore my comment and wait for the Food and Drug Administration’s review of the female Viagra candidate, flibanserin, to spice up your relationship. However, if they resemble the couple, Jaap and Ina Polak, it might be worth listening to their advice.

In his book, Steal a Pencil for Me: Love Letters from Camp Bergen-Belsen and Westerbork, Jaap Polak recalled a relationship spanning more than 55 years, through Nazi concentration camps, liberation, and divorce from his first wife, and emigration with Ina to the United States. Jaap, Chairman Emeritus of The Anne Frank Center USA (located in in Lower-Manhattan), formulated six life lessons that can be viewed here.