Is Valentine's Day Really The Devil?

Relationships are the things that ground us and allow us to grow as people. They teach us many things. They teach us to have the courage to admit when we are wrong, to admit when we are scared,  to admit when we are lonely. They teach us the value of truth and of the importance of being ourselves. They teach us the folly of expectations and instead the wisdom of acceptance of another person. It is for these reasons that friendship reigns supreme in the relationship genre. To learn to be a good friend is the basis of a lasting and fulfilling romantic partnership. Entwining ourselves with unhealthy, unstable people will never be a satisfactory experience and will in fact lead a person further down the slippery slope of mental wellness. It is important to look at the people to whom you feel the closest because they are a reflection of yourself and show what it is you value. People who feel that the world revolves around them are the most unattractive people of all. It doesn't take long before the outward beauty fades before one's eyes. Being in a relationship teaches us that perfection does not exist either in ourselves or another person. What does exist are the genuine feelings that develop over time as we learn to trust ourselves with another person. If we are not willing to lay bare our souls with another, then we will be forever lonely and seeking.  Life is short and health can be fleeting so there is not endless time to get things right. Love gives us the courage to do things we never thought we could. People come into your life because they care. They leave because they don’t want to do the work of relationship. They come back if they love. We cannot control love or explain away why we love someone though our ego is dying to do just that. Ego is punishing and selfish. The soul is giving and forgiving.

 Hating Valentine’s Day runs deeper than the silly, fake aspects that a manufactured holiday brings. It is perhaps an uncomfortable reminder of the absence of a good solid loving friendship in a person’s life and an overemphasis on having a romantic attachment. Having a sarcastic, snarky devil may care personality does not make for a person who would be attractive to anyone in the long run, the possible exception being that of a similarly negative person. These types of people are always right. The woman who is proud that she is a bitch or the man who refuses to be committed to anyone, with their take it or leave it attitude will find in time, that most everyone will leave it.  The same applies for the person who is always right. Friends and lovers alike do not want to live their lives under constant criticism. The beauty of being in an honest relationship is that you find out that you are seldom “right”  People will always clash until they figure out that it is OK to have a different view of life and that everyone is allowed to walk their own path even if it is not identical to your own.