Valentine's Day

You Never Know Until You Try.

I was talking with a friend last Friday night and asked what his plans were for Valentine's Day. He stated that he had no plans and that furthermore every holiday is no big deal to him, just another day. He's not even 50 years old, and he's burned out on holidays.

I can understand being upset over the commercialism of the big American holidays: Easter and Christmas are about God's love for us, not presents and chocolate bunnies; Thanksgiving is about being thankful, not about stuffing ourselves, etc.

So how did I respond to my friend? I simply said, "Come on; you can show love for yourself!" I could've added that he could show his love for his parents and friends, but I felt that he was feeling a little down about his life. Maybe I was projecting my feelings onto him, but regardless, I encouraged him to do something nice for himself on Valentine's Day.

I haven't talked with him since Friday, so I don't know if he took my advice or not, but I took my own advice. I awoke with a horrible sinus headache yesterday, so I gave myself permission to stay in bed most of the day without feeling guilty. When I finally felt semi-human again around 6 pm, I made myself a balanced, from scratch, home-cooked meal and enjoyed every morsel. After I watched a little tv, I cleaned up the kitchen and had a relaxing bath before propping up on pillows to call it a day and hope my headache would be gone Monday morning.

It wasn't, but it was better. At least I'm upright now, whereas yesterday at this time I was asleep. Today I'm thinking how glad I am that I loved myself yesterday and took it easy on myself. I'm not talking about the kind of selfishness that can get everyone in trouble--putting yourself before everyone else. I'm talking about being kind to yourself, taking care of yourself, and respecting your boundaries. That means expecting others to respect them, too.

Relationships with others can be really nice, and romantic relationships can be especially rewarding. But the bottom line is that you and God are the only ones you are with all the time. That's why I try to show both of us the love we deserve.