Love is more than just a game for two

I’ve gotta be honest, I’ve generally been a fan of Valentine’s Day - even when I was single. And I owe this in large part to my parents. We always celebrated Valentine’s Day as a family and it always seemed like a holiday to celebrate love more broadly (rather than only in a romantic relationship).

But today I’ve been reflecting on Nat King Cole’s iconic song, “L.O.V.E” and considering how this relates to the most important personal relationship in my life - the one with myself. I’d say for a lot of my life, I had an abysmal relationship with my self. My internal dialogue was one of constant judgment and I didn’t really enjoy being with myself. But over the past decade or so, I’ve really begun enjoying the person I’m turning out to be.

L - Look
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Can you reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re headed? Give yourself a pat on the back for all the challenges you’ve overcome and know that there are good things ahead.

O - Only one
One thing that has helped me is to stop looking to other people to cultivate joy in my life. I am a complete and whole person and I’m not looking for anyone else to “complete” me.

V- Very extraordinary

We all need a little affirmation sometimes. Why not be your own biggest cheerleader? What are the very very extraordinary things about you that you love?

E- Even More

I’ll be honest, I don’t totally understand the Nat King Cole line here, but I’m gonna take this in my own way. What are the “Even More” things that have been missing in my life? I recently made a list of all the things I love to do and all the things I dread and I realized that I needed to find a way to get more of the love list things worked into my daily routine. Of course, I must do things like take out the trash, but the more time I can spend doing yoga, reading & bringing music into my life, the richer everything feels.

So give yourself a little L.O.V.E this Valentine’s Day :)