love. sweet love.

"If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself."~Barbara De Angelis

Love is in the air...Valentine's Day, the most cliche holiday of them all....megabucks for the company of Hallmark and 1-800 flowers, proflowers, and chocolate candies...but really, only one day out of the year that you and your partner should show your love for each other? The St. Valentine's Day has been around since 496 AD and has flourished since the 19th century... hearts, handwritten notes, cards, chocolates...all the mushy gooey things we associate with love and romance.

I'm all for the pinks, reds, and purples, hearts and chocolates...but the truth is I usually kill flowers way too soon, don't really need the chocolates and extra calories, and teddy bears, why? you couldn't think of anything better? So cliche....the days of my love sucks shirt I called it, in college. It was a baby blue shirt with a pink heart in the middle with a purple "no" circle, like the no smoking circle for standard signs, but instead of a cig in the middle of it, there was a heart. I wore it on a few valentine's days in college. oh those were the days, not really... granted I was good at flirting, but apparently I was also good at being used, played and dumped around. I hate the word dump. yuck gross, can't believe I used it. But anyways... Love is in the air... and it has been for quite some time now.

Every day is Valentine's Day with you. a bit cliche sounding yes, but well if everyday (almost everyday) wasn't like valentine's day, why are we in the relationship in the first place? I have learned some things out of the heartaches, runarounds and lies from the boys in my past, and that is if it doesn't feel right, it just isn't. Love is work, love is risks, love is communication, love is partnership, love is balance... it's work, it's ever changing to meet the needs of you and your partner, but that's what makes it all worth while, if you have found the one who helps you balance rather than tips you over, weighing you down.

What I have learned now since you... is the most important. I can love myself and love others at the same time. In fact, like the quote above, loving yourself more, appreciating your self worth, helps those relationships you have with others especially with someone you share yourself with, your world, your secrets, your life, your love. So much more love to give when you love yourself so truly and happily.

Love is work, love is challenging, love is not always kind, but love is worth it. It's what makes the world go 'round. Love is doing things together, love is taking turns, love is foot massages and flowers just because, love is even though...

So cheers to the basketball hall of fame, foot massages, cuddling, dinner with great friends... Have a great week, only 3 more days til February vacation for all you teachers/school employees out there :) 'til next time...