What would today be without some of my words of wisdom…

As usual, unless you are fully happy being single, this is a day to be bombarded by media and family and friends with the idea that you are still single and why haven’t you produced any grandchildren. As I had been with someone recently I was fully looking forward to it this year. I had a surprise peri-Valentine’s Day day scheduled at Ten Thousand Waves (a japanese spa) that thankfully I was able to cancel and not lose any money. It’s more awesome probably than any other time of the year for me to think I would finally have someone for Valentine’s Day. You almost remember that you aren’t alone. But alas that was not to be.

One could argue that I should use this time to be bitter for not only not having someone for Valentine’s Day but for the way that it ended. But I actually think there are things that I have to thank her for and must continue to keep in mind now. Simply reinforcements of things that I’ve known on what I need and what I want and truthfully what everyone should really have. The thing that shocked me most at the end was the (simple) lack of communication and possible lies. One moment two people talking about the future and then the without warning that future is shut down.

I think many people would agree that during a relationship if the two people have been talking about their concerns and problems and it still ends, at least they did talk about them and tried and hopefully won’t be caught off guard at a sudden ending even if it doesn’t feel pleasant. All too often these days people choose not to effective in how they communicate with each other. Communication is dealt with through (in decreasing order) face-to-face interactions, phone conversations, emails, texts or in some unfortunate cases simply ignoring that there is an issue and walking away from it. At least I got an email even if there was no true explanation and I am still left wondering what happened. I have gotten the ignoring treatment as a breakup method in the past. Immature and possibly very cowardly in my opinion for anything other than face-to-face.

We generally take this as an opportunity to figure out (ie beat ourselves up) what we did to cause the end. How we screwed it up. However one must also accept the fact and idea that we did nothing wrong and nothing that we did or didn’t do could have changed the outcome. Sometimes it really is the other person that isn’t ready and not yourself. You must constantly keep that in mind. Don’t let something like this break your self-confidence. Remember you are worth it. We question ourselves. We question why we’re even in relationships. We wonder if we’re good enough for them. We wonder if we’re just not better alone.

As I said in my quote the other day, it’s not always necessarily the person that I miss but instead those feelings inside. That sense of belonging with someone. That connection with somebody. Being lost in their eyes and when they look back at you, you feel like the two of you are in your own world. The electricity with each touch. It’s those feelings that keep us coming back time after time, punishment after punishment.

Pain is interesting. Emotional pain and physical pain share special characteristics and we tend to forget that. If you cut yourself or someone steps on your toe you feel that physical pain. We don’t say that someone is making you feel that pain. It is your own. So why do we treat emotional pain differently? I also would argue that someone else also doesn’t make you feel that pain either. While not linked to sensory nerve conduction, it still hurts like crap inside. A visceral pain inside the chest. You think your heart is going to burst from pain. You also own this pain as well. It is yours to feel and manage. You get to choose if you want to be hurt or not in this case. Remember that next time. You are in control. They don’t control you.

Sex can also become a variable in a relationship. While there could be an argument about it being too soon in a relationship one of the biggest concerns that I would have in any relationship is that while it is an important part of a relationship for some people it should not be the most important part. If sex is the linchpin in the relationship, as the only thing holding it together, that relationship will probably fall apart. Constantly there must be communication. There must be open dialogue. These people must understand about each first before anything else.

*anyone have a suggestion for a symbol of communication. thinking about a microphone or airwaves for now*

As much cynicism as there is about Valentine’s Day in its commercial value, it can also be used sorta of like Thanksgiving as a reminder day. To keep in mind those people in our lives be they spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, parents, grandparents, children, whoever. There are always people to love in our lives. And we are loved by others, even when we forget about them. I could wish like many other holidays that people didn’t see the materialism behind this. The diamonds were not a part of this until the commercials arrived. The chocolates that melt and add calories, the flowers that wilt and die, the dinners that cost a tidy sum, the once a year sex or special sex and all the things that people expect again as a symbol of love when the symbol of love should simply be, Love.

Those three words said too often and often not enough can be quite powerful when said at the right moment. Telling somebody “I love you” has consequences. It should never be used as a weapon. It should never be used to buy you time. It should really be what it says, I. Love. You. No blog entry could be long enough to get into what love is. We each have our own version of what we think it might mean.

One thing that people should also keep in mind is not only should you be loving the other person but for your own sake try to remember and, especially if you’re single, take this opportunity and this day to love yourself. You should be number one in your life. What happens to you should matter. Your needs should be important. If you are starting to date someone making sure your needs are being addressed. That is also very important. While I find that I’m malleable in my likes and personality, if you are trying to change yourself fundamentally for the other person in a relationship I can’t imagine that it would actually last for the long-term. Your must have your needs addressed in the beginning otherwise how can you know the two of you will be good together. How can it last? Why not consider waiting till you been together long enough before you think about starting on compromising.

I close this with one quote.

“To thine own self be true.” – Polonius

-Santa’s Fallen Angel, waiting for Cupid’s arrow only if she gets the same one