I Love Me some Me

It's near the end of January, and that month dedicated to love in a saccharin sweet way is sneaking up on us. February. Hearts and valentines, half priced chocolate and flowers. Romantic dinners and sappy commercials. Yep, it's all coming...and if you happen to be like a lot of the population, you don't have a significant other to share it with.

STOP!

Do not get one just for the occasion!

I mean it. How many of us have been bullied by the mass marketing of supposed social norms into pairing up as mismatched couples for this seasonal stretch of make believe happiness? It's all a meticulously formulated lie, people. You do not need a dedicated possible passable partner to celebrate the month of love. You can dive in unsupervised and give love a fighting chance.

BD&V is officially dubbing this February "I Love me some ME Month". Yes, I know that it's poor grammar, but we are going to embrace that not everything is perfect, thus life is not always perfect,yet it is always a journey! Experience it from the inside out.

Here, let's try an exercise. I did this from the time I was 12 until I was...well, I still do it from time to time, when I need to be reminded:

Stand in front of a mirror, and look directly at yourself. Say to yourself: "I am beautiful. I love me. I love me some me."

Do it again. Do it every day until it feels natural.

If you have a hard time with it because you can't embrace your beauty, try this exercise instead.

Stand in front of a mirror, and look directly at yourself. Say to yourself: "God made everything beautiful. I am beautiful. He loves Him some me. I love what God loves. I love me."

Why? Because you need to be accustomed to hearing yourself acknowledge your own beauty and where it comes from - so that you understand why it doesn't take a significant other to celebrate love, life or liberty! It only takes you, finding out that you are healed, and you are whole.

This February, make a plan. Get together with friends, with your children; sponsor a program at church or a neighborhood center - share this month about love and heritage with others in a new way.

I haven't decided yet what my plan is for Valentine's day this year. Since my separation and then divorce I have spent that  day with my children doing something special, with my Mom, even taken my then mother-in-law flowers.  What kind of ideas do you have? I would love to hear them.