Show Some Love

With Valentine's Day coming up, I've been thinking a lot about love. How we show our love. To each other. And to ourselves.

When you love someone, you want the very best for them. You celebrate all the great stuff about them, and you ignore the little imperfections. You see the inner beauty shining through, no matter what. You go out of your way to do something nice for them. And if they have a bad day, if they trip and fall down, you reach out a hand to help them back up again.

You would never kick them when they are down. You would never insult them or call them ugly, hurtful names.

And yet, when it comes to the way we treat ourselves, sometimes this is not the case. Sometimes we are not our own best cheerleaders. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

This is the last thing we need. I don't know about you, but I have faced enough unkindness in my life. I don't need to heap anymore on myself.

So for this coming Valentine's Day, I am suggesting we give ourselves a gift of love. A gift of loving kindness. Kind thoughts. Kind words. Kind deeds.

I'm not sure how you really need to show yourself love. It could look like taking that nap that you never allow yourself. Or perhaps taking a whole day off from work. It could look like a meal out in an excellent restaurant if you are the one who cooks every night. It could look like a massage or a yoga class or a night out salsa dancing. It could look like a bath with rose petals and scented oils.

For a whole day or even just an evening, treat yourself like a queen. Or a king.

Although Valentine's Day is usually celebrated with a heart-shaped container full of sugar,  just remember that there are many healthy ways to show your love. You can be sweet to yourself, or your loved one, without touching a speck of actual sugar. If you come up with any great ideas for your own celebration, please share!