Where Is My Valentine?

Yes, you read that right! “What will be my Valentine?” We usually ask, “Who will be my Valentine?” - which can bring up a myriad of uncomfortable answers, particularly if you are single. Those who are in a romantic relationship tend to think romance is a ‘shoe in’. Wait a minute – is it? Take a look at your expectations for Valentines Day, and of your partner. Don’t you wonder, “Will they remember? Will they give me what I want, or what they want? Is the pleasure measured in dollars or designed by Hallmark?” Are your expectations a secret, and you hope your partner can break the code? I remember in the first year of my relationship many years ago, for Valentines Day I wanted an angora sweater that I had on layaway. I was sure he would get the hint. No. What did I get? A beautifully wrapped box with a bow, and upon opening it I found a piece of beef heart! EEK! (We were 16 & 18 at the time and my partner was a meat cutter and thought that was the funniest thing ever. I wasn’t laughing! Talk about undelivered expectations on both our sides.) Now, for those of you that are single – Valentines Day can be one of the hardest Holidays of all. It seems to be an exclusive Holiday, and it doesn’t seem to include us. You ask, “Should I hide? Hope a friend remembers? Act like I don’t care?” Whether you are in a romantic relationship or single – read on - Love is on its way! Valentines Day is the day of Love. Where did we get the idea it can only come from another? When the question is, “Who?”, it does seem to point to another. When the question is, ”What?”, the answer is clearly Love. This leads us to a completely different inquiry . . . What do I want to experience on Valentines Day? Partnered or single – this is the question, and Love is the only answer. With real love, nothing else matters.rnWithout it, nothing else is enough. Alone or with another, how can Love be your experience? Actually Love is who we are! Think back to a time when your heart was so full of Love you felt like you were going to burst. Where do you think that feeling of Love came from? Prior to this feeling showing up, there was an equivalent thought, activating what was already existing inside you, however, prior to that moment, it was dormant (suppressed or cut off by ego thoughts). Could that feeling of Love come from something outside your self? How could it? Human Beings are self-contained, and our feelings are generated from within. “Do not worry about what others are doing.rnTurn the searchlight inward and purify your own heart”.rnGandhi Do you have fleeting thoughts of gratitude and acknowledgments for others that you don’t express? Actually isn’t that Love withheld? Express Love to those around you who touch your heart, and empower your True Self. Tap into your feelings of gratitude for Blessings in your Life, and live in the experience of Love. Partnered or single, take some time to be your own Valentine. Do something nice for yourself. Take a few moments to acknowledge and validate yourself for the amazing and perfect Being you are.