Okay, hear me out. I know there are plenty of people out there who think Valentine’s Day is a farce — just another marketing scheme to get consumers to spend, spend, spend on things that don’t really matter in daily life.

Then there are those who have been with their significant other for a long time and have grown complacent about Valentine’s Day, like a birthday celebration they feel fine skipping. Some people hate the day because it reminds them of what they don’t have, while others stress over one more obligation to handle.

And, of course, there are those who feel sadness because they know their partner will fall short of expectations.

I am not going to lie — at some point in my life, I have experienced or wholeheartedly believed in all of the above. Until one day, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I did this for two main reasons.

First, I am incredibly lucky to be in a relationship that is exactly what I need in a partnership. From the very beginning, my husband and I have worked in tandem when it comes to managing our household and raising our children.

We both work, we both changed diapers, we both cook dinner. We are in this together, in all the ways that matter. But in the early days, I have to admit, most of the wooing fell on him.

The date nights, the wedding anniversaries, the Mother’s Day surprises, the birthday month (yes, I claim the whole month, at least in my mind), and yes, Valentine’s Day.

Then came the toddler years, a time when exhaustion ruled our lives and romance sometimes took a backseat to survival. A few less-than-stellar Valentine’s celebrations left me wondering, why was I waiting for him to carry the weight of keeping the romance alive? Just like everything else in our relationship, shouldn’t this be a shared effort?

That’s when I made the decision: Valentine’s Day was going to be my day. Besides our mutually planned date nights throughout the year, this would be my time to take the lead, to pour my love and effort into celebrating him the way he deserved, just as much as I did.

This year’s theme (and it’s okay to reveal it now since this is published after the fact) was Rom-Com Love Story. I went all out to recreate key moments from our journey together, condensed and packed into a single 24-hour period.

I took him back to the moment we first met, to the subway lunch we shared, to our first official date. And then, for the grand finale, I flipped the script on the moment he proposed to me — only this time, it was me proposing to him.

Not for marriage, obviously — we’ve got that part covered — but for a renewed commitment to never take each other for granted.

It wasn’t easy. There were some misses along the way, a few hiccups in execution. But the end result? A day full of laughter, nostalgia and heartfelt reminders of why we chose each other in the first place.

Maybe Valentine’s Day is overhyped. Maybe it is just another commercial holiday. But maybe, just maybe, it can also be a chance to pause and celebrate the love we often take for granted with our significant other, our friends, and our family.

Love isn’t about extravagant gifts or grand gestures. I’s about effort, about seeing and appreciating the person who stands beside you every day. And sometimes, putting in that effort can remind us why we fell in love in the first place.

So from me to you, if you’ve ever rolled your eyes at Valentine’s Day, I get it. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that love isn’t something to sit back and receive. It’s something we create. And sometimes, the best way to celebrate love is to be the one who makes the first move.

Mother, author, entrepreneur and founder of Dandelion-Inc, Lisa Resnick wants to hear your story. Share memories with her by emailing lisa@dandelion-inc.com.