Head downtown to share the heart with a good cause

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Updated: March 18, 2012 8:03AM

OK, so maybe the double batch of cookie dough was a bit much. I blame it on that third cup of coffee.

Last weekend, with a relatively open calendar and a couple extra pounds of butter still snuggled in the basement freezer, I figured some extra Valentine’s Day cookies would be a nice idea. But sure enough, by the 2,805th little heart cut-out, I was having second thoughts.

We did manage to find homes for every last pink-icing-glazed sweet (thank you, newsroom, for helping out). Whew! It would have been far too many for the three of us to polish off, even if we slipped a few to the dog.

But even as those buttery little indulgences begin to grow stale, it occurs to me that Valentine’s Day is way too short. Say what you will about contrived holidays, but I can’t help thinking the whole heartfelt thing would come in kind of handy the other 364 (or in the case of this year, 365) days on the calendar, too. If there’s some good reason why the spirit of Valentine’s Day shouldn’t linger among us all the time, somebody please explain that to me.

This week on The Sun’s Facebook page and at napersun.com, you might have read about Doris and Dale Chatfield, the Aurora couple whose 73-year marital union leaves the rest of us relative newlyweds in their marriage-longevity dust. The secret to their lifelong bliss isn’t complicated: the couple live simply, think positively and relish small joys. They are one another’s valentine, every day.

Certainly the rest of us can take a cue from this sweet account, the kind of story we in community journalism really love to tell. I mean really, if only we all made a point of living simply and in the moment, who knows how much better we might get along? If we focused a bit better on keeping our hearts open to others, maybe we’d become better listeners. It might help us tune down the auto focus in favor of seeing how interesting somebody else is instead. We might get better at understanding what our fellow humans are about. Heck, we might even get more stuff done for the greater good (are you listening, you folks up there on Capitol Hill?)

And now consider this: you have all this weekend to keep the love for your hometown coming.

The “Heart of Downtown” charity campaign gives you a chance to do good by shopping local and keeping the benefit local, too. Through Monday, a portion of what you spend at participating businesses in downtown Naperville goes to a good cause: Little Friends Inc., Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry, 360 Youth Services, Samaritan Interfaith, Naperville CARES or the Naperville Area Humane Society. You choose, but know that every one of these nonprofits is dealing simultaneously with booming demand and dwindling funds. If you can’t decide, go to six different places — stores, restaurants and even a yoga studio are taking part — and designate a different charity with each expenditure. There is certainly enough need to go around; so if the budget allows it, follow your heart.

Here are the stores taking part in this worthwhile fundraiser: Abyhaasa Yoga, Anderson’s Bookshop, Artistic Creations Salon, Baubles by Maclyn, Beidelman Furniture, Fitness Experts, Giordano’s, Haagen-Dazs & Popcorn Palace, Its A Bling Thing, La Sorella di Francesca, Occasions, SaraBoo Creek, Twisted Olive, Two Doors East and Two Bostons Pet Boutique.

Run along now and go share the love. No need to wait another 362 days.