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I feel obligated to confess, since I'm writing a pseudo-Valentine's post, that this is not a favorite holiday of mine. It's made up, and in my experience, tends to lead to more unhappiness, letdowns and breakups than genuine declarations of love.

What if, instead, we just try to make someone else smile today? A little levity is never a bad thing, especially when you work in an industry with deadly rogue waves, lethal ocean temperatures, ghastly and unpredictable biomass and returns, not to mention the perpetual wrangling for resources and access.

Let's turn Valentine's Day into a celebration of things we love. Share them with whomever you like. No fear. No rejection. Just good times. (Side note: My house rule follows here, too. Don't yuck someone else's yum.) Without a doubt, at the top of my love list is the crew of Rising Tide Communications in Anchorage, Alaska.

And that's how I arrived here.

https://www.facebook.com/risingtideak/photos/a.1652715271654472/2231714950421165/?type=3&theater

This marketing and PR firm provides some of the glitz behind the Salmon Sisters (did you see their national ad for the Surface Pro?), Bristol Bay Sockeye salmon (as a brand) and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, among others. If you've been noticing these things more lately, it's because Rising Tide knows how to get attention. Even better, they are willing to put themselves out there, have fun and make it work.

While I was running around today, I stopped by my favorite bagel shop (it is also the best — only? — place to get cold-smoked blackcod in the state of Maine) for lunch, and it came wrapped in this delightful illustration of my favorite foods — fish and bread — in red and white. Rose Foods, your juicy meat stripes made my day.

What do you love? Tell someone. Even better whisper it in their ear. A few more of mine:

*hot-smoked sockeye*

*when council meetings are over*

*halibut cheeks*

*working waterfronts*

*seared bluefin steaks*

*fishing trade shows* (for real!)

*spending the day on the water*

If I didn't make you smile today, I hope someone else can.

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Jessica Hathaway is the former editor in chief of National Fisherman.

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