With V-Day rapidly approaching, I find myself exploring the whole "love thing" as a single woman. Thoroughly enjoying the journey, notions of nostalgia have taken over and encouraged me to take a personal review on what love has taught me, become to me, and what it simply is not. So why not share?
1. Love is easy: False. If this were true, the human race would exist together in a more peaceful fashion, the divorce rate wouldn't be so incredibly high, and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn that...
2. Real love is unconditional. Real love allows others to be exactly who they are without judgement, it is the fertilizer for a healthy, empowered soul, it eliminates fear and...
3. Love does not control. Real love never existed in "that" relationship where tactics involving guilt and shame were utilized; or even in passing relationships where the "hard sell" personality makes your stomach tighten and spirit want to run for the hills when you engage in even the lightest of conversation. Nope...
4. Love frees yourself and others. Love, in it's purest form, allows people to come and go in your life with a peace and understanding that lessons are continually available and we all have different paths to help us grow. This doesn't lend itself to meaning you should be a doormat to society; but maintain healthy boundaries and self care practices so that if others choose to enter and exit they may do so without completely deconstructing your world or forward movement in life. In other words...
5. Loving yourself is of utmost importance because if you don't love yourself, how can you truly love another? Love yourself in an all-around nonjudgmental way. Acknowledge your strengths (and others will see them), admit your faults (but don't hold onto them so tight they become your crutch), and for goodness sake, look in that mirror and own every bit of your physical beauty (everyone else sees your radiant appearance, you should too)!
6. Bonus: Love is a continual work in progress; keep learning and taking risks to grow your own personal definition and understanding of it!
Celebrate this weekend with an open heart and expanded understanding for how loved YOU are!
Cheers!
