Monday, February 14, 2011

Love

This year, I am single on Valentine's Day.  


I wasn't so excited about this and woke up in a relatively sour mood.  For those of you that know me well, it is clear that I am not one who is comfortable being crabby or negative for any extended period of time.  So, to remedy this cloudy funk I am in, I have been thinking of ways that I can make today a more pleasing and gratitude filled day.


And then it dawned on me:



The past 8 Valentine's Days, I have expected something romantic and wonderful (due to the fact that I was with a man who said I was the only one) to happen.  I have made a decision:  No longer am I waiting for someone else to declare their undying love for me, I have that in and of myself now.  


This love comes from two very important sources.  The first and MOST important is the love that Christ showed for me when he exchanged his life so I could live...There is no greater sacrifice than that of someone who gives their life for love.  The second is from myself.  I have endured 2 long, hard years of work on myself and have recreated my life so that it is worth living.  This is the first year that I can honestly say that I love myself.  I don't love myself in a way that is conceited or self-indulgent, rather in a soft, caring, and gentle way.  I take care of myself with a love that I would hope any other human would.  


Just like any relationship, I have my down days and the ones that I have to fight to just get through, but that is the great part, I fight because I know that the next day will be filled with hope and anticipation.  Think of your closest friendship, you would do anything for them right?...midnight phone calls....visits to the hospital...encouragement when your friend is in a crisis...flowers on their birthday....random texts to make them laugh.  I wonder then why we do not do these acts for ourselves.  I am sure we can all come up with a lot of reasons, however I don't believe any of them are warranted because we are responsible for ourselves and our wellbeing - which includes self care and self love.


Today I am loving myself, I am having my favorite drink at Caribou, I am laughing as much as possible, and I am sharing with others this wellspring of love and life that is within me.  Honestly, waiting for someone else to give me what I already have is a monumental waste of time because what I can give myself is greater than anything that can be bought in a store.


I encourage you to tap into your inner love and be gentle and affectionate with yourself and others today.


We are LOVED,
Haley

2 comments:

  1. Your post makes every day sound like "Valentine's Day"! You remind us of how we should all be living and modeling for our youth. Thanks for sharing your hard-earned wisdom, Haley!

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  2. Thank you Lani for commenting with your encouragement. I am blessed. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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