These last few years have been a hike in the wilderness of finding myself. It has been treacherous. It has been glorious. I’ve curled up in caves. I’ve stood atop mountains with arms held wide. My deepest truth throughout it all: Love is all there is. Often we look outward for such a thing. Yet, the most important love is found within.
Loving from such a place is heaven on earth. Not because it’s always easy. But because it is exquisitely divine. So, for those considering Valentine’s Day I want to say: Love you. Take a moment and access your life. Ask yourself the deeper questions. Make the changes necessary for you to feel love – inside and out.
Tonight, I’m sharing the blog I wrote two years ago. I won the WordPress Award for this blog. But I won’t lie, I felt wretched the night I wrote it. Yet, the voice of spirit spoke. And I wrote what was said. Love is God. Love is Life. Love is all there is. So love you.
Life reflects our beliefs. So, remember, believe you deserve the best. Believe you are beautiful. Believe you are worthy. I can assure you, you are irreplaceable. And if no one sees this within you – maybe it’s because you don’t yet see it within you.
Love is what makes life worth living. Love is what makes us smile during the worst of times, and causes our heart to fill with unspeakable joy. Love gives us courage. Bring love into your world. Bring it into your heart. You can do this. Say it with me, “Yes, I’m scared often. But I love me. I love this motley mix that gets turned sideways at times. I love my darkness. I love my light. And I love me. I love my dreaming heart. I love my trembling hands. I love the all of me. And I deserve to feel good. ”
Sane
Below, unchanged, the post that brought so many of you to me. Thank you, dear readers. I love you.
February 13, 2013 § 209 Comments
If, like me, you find yourself alone on Valentine’s Day, please do as I do – treat yourself well. As the spotlight shines down and reveals that you have yet to end your day looking into the eyes of your life’s love, or even that of a mere lover, use the day to look into yourself. And when you do, please do so with kindness. Fall in love with you.
It almost seems like a superfluous concept – to fall in love with one’s self. And yet, it is your self that will follow you wherever you go. It is yourself that will talk to you when no one is there. Your self will damn you. Your self will love you. The belief you have in yourself can cause you to crumble or it can cause you to reach unprecedented heights. The energy and perspective you put into you – you will receive from you in the form of inner knowing, conviction and peace.
On this day, instead of giving free rein to a mind that critiques and reminds us of our failures, come to peace with those moments when the outcome for which you had most hoped didn’t manifest. Think about giving yourself credit for having survived something that, at the time, felt like death. When you look in the mirror, instead of seeing the effects of time and stress, see a face that has viewed some of the ugliest of circumstances, and yet can radiantly shine when caught up in laughter. And when you look down at your body, try not to see those things that cause you disappointment. Try to remember that your body is giving you it’s very best, dependent upon what you are giving it. Furthermore, if your body is like mine, it has moved through hell and back, perhaps more than once. And when the time comes that you are confronted with your life’s love, they will see your beauty – because doing so is inherent to the nature of who they are. A divine love is divinely given, and thus sees the divine in us even when we falter and struggle to see it for ourselves.
Go easy on you. I would recommend that you take every day to treat yourself well. But if not, then please use tomorrow as a celebration of the love you are cultivating for you. Making peace with yourself. Loving your many attributes, thoughts, hopes and dreams is the beginning of the most important relationship one can have – the one we have with ourself. You will be with you during your greatest successes, your deepest disappointments and upon your final day. And if you are blessed to meet up with your life’s love, you’ll then be coming from a place not of insecurity, but of acceptance. You’ve accepted you, which will allow you to accept them.
I won’t deny that the favorable ending for tomorrow would be in front of a fire or wrapped in the arms of one’s lover. That would be my chosen route. But instead, I will endeavor to treat myself well. I will remind myself of my own beauty. My triumphs. My successes. My gifts. I will also spend the day spoiling me as I would wish to be spoiled by a partner. I will stop off and enjoy the taste of something delectable; it’s a fair assumption dark chocolate will be involved. I will peruse my favorite boutiques and I will allow my body to get pampered. Most of all, I will go easy on me. And my hope is that you go easy on you. Whether you are loved by many, loved by one or only loved by you – never forget – you are quite special.
Sane
Insanity 
Beautiful and beautifully written!
Thank you my dear friend ~ S.
Delightful, generous, kind.
The evening of Valentine’s Day I found myself in another town in a blowing snowstorm. I’d just gotten off the bus, from which I usually call a taxi to get me to the place I stay, and needed to pick up some groceries first. The taxi line was busy – impossible to get through. I called again and again while pushing the cart through the aisles, staying inside and warm as long as I could. I’d completely forgotten it was Valentine’s Day, and when I asked the cashier if by chance there was any other taxi service in town besides the one that was completely impossible to get through to, she shook her head No ruefully, and said, “Everyone wants a cab tonight – Valentine’s Day”. She went on to tell me about the flowers she’d gotten herself, and the bottle of wine and special dinner she had planned for herself when she finished her shift and went home alone. I smiled thinking about her as I pushed my way out into the impossible blowing snow and walked slowly to the place where I stay, and when I got there, I made myself a special dinner too…. 🙂
Sometimes the Universe reminds us that in the midst of it all, we should take a moment and be good to ourselves. Good for you for having listened. Love to you – S.