Love, love, love. It’s beautiful and sweet and absolutely life’s most precious commodity. Guess what else is one of life’s most commodity? YOU. Yourself. That chick in the mirror. Not to get selfish and egotistical… but yeah… our own families’ worlds kinda do stop spinning should we get sick, take a break, temporarily get overwhelmed or just freak out about being overextended. The home life’s function depends on the resident mom’s ability to function happily. This Valentine’s Day week, I’m challenging myself, and YOU, to celebrate yourself.
No, it ain’t Mother’s Day…. but remembering how much we love ourselves (and all that we try to pull off on a regular basis, thanks to the love we have for our families) is worth investing in. “The relationship you have with yourself is the most important.” (Yes, I learned that from all those years watching HBO’s Sex and the City.)
A few fun ways to ignite your happiness and passion for life?
Dig up an old picture of your girlfriends, before anyone was tied down to high-pressure jobs, family commitments and life stresses of all kinds. Dig through your old shoe boxes and find a photo from long ago that makes you smile and laugh and cry at the same time. Then frame it and put it somewhere in your home where you see it often. Remember who you were. Realize how much you’ve grown. Be thankful for the young and ridiculous experiences you may’ve forgotten about. That’s love.
2005ish: Friends. Fun. Youth. Love. Aka: That night we thought we were so cool and not one guy came to talk to us…
Ask your spouse to write you a love note that consists of more than one line on a sticky note. (I’ve explained the details of why and how here… read it.) Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t be shy. Be strong in what you know you need. (Because we all need it.) Your husband might laugh nervously or roll his eyes or not take you seriously, but I promise that he just might appreciate having this particular activity as a gift-giving option in the end… because it doesn’t cost a thing. And: It will make you feel more love than you ever thought you could feel. Which makes you happier. Which makes you a better mom and wife. That’s love. (You can also write your own note, just for kicks…)
My ‘card’ from last year’s celebration. Made me realize a few things I truly need…
Get your pretty panties on… this coming from a gal who made a day of purging her underwear drawer after baby #2. I guarantee you’ve got some… somewhere. They might not be a part of your go-to daily wear these days (hello, those teeny things don’t quite fit the same) but this is the time to suck it up and challenge yourself to wear them for one day. Half a day. 15 minutes. Why? Well, because it will flash you back to your youth, you might look in the mirror and think ‘Hey, I kinda look cute in these even though things are in different places’ or you might just flat out laugh and think how stupid it is in the first place. (This wacky tactic is also a test of self-love: Even if you don’t feel like you look cute in those ridiculous underthings anymore, this is the chance to look in the mirror, make a choice to own yourself and where you’re at now in life and say, ‘Hey, good on me for puttin’ these on and feeling good about the changed women I am now… with all my different bits and everything.’) That’s love.
Celebrate those you love this Valentine’s Day… including you. Celebrate yourself. No money required. That’s love.
