Valentine’s Day is often seen as a celebration of romantic love, but it can be much more. It’s a day to celebrate love in all its forms—romantic, platonic, and most importantly, self-love.

For those in relationships, Valentine’s Day is a beautiful opportunity to honor and cherish your partner. It’s a time to appreciate the journey you’ve taken together and the love you continue to build. Whether it’s a romantic dinner, a cozy night in, or an adventure together, the day is yours to make special.

For those who are single, like I am, Valentine’s Day can feel isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Love isn’t just about a partner—it’s about community, friendships, and self-acceptance. Take this day to celebrate your personal growth, your friendships, and the love that exists in your life in so many different ways.

If you’re single this Valentine’s Day, know this: our worth is not defined by our relationship status. We are whole, valuable, and deserving of love—especially from ourselves. Take today to do something that brings you joy, whether it’s treating yourself to something special, spending time with friends, or simply reflecting on how far you’ve come.

Back when I was in college, I read the book Finding the Boyfriend Within: A Practical Guide for Tapping into your own Source of Love, Happiness, and Respect. For me and many others who read the book by Brad Gooch, it was an inspiration at a time when I didn’t fully understand my sexuality, when I wondered if I’d ever be in a committed relationship, and whether that could ever happen if I came to accept myself for who I was—a gay man. I’m sure there were a lot of things other people who read the book got out of it, but for me, there was the message of self-love, even though at the time, I hated myself for being gay. 

One part of the book that has stuck with me all these years was to the notion of going on a date with myself. I could put on a nice outfit, eat a wonderful meal, maybe even light some candles to set a romantic mood—whatever I did  to pamper myself. Whatever I did, I would take myself on a date. I could even go out if I wanted and have a nice meal at a restaurant I loved. Whatever I did, I planned a real date with myself, and if that meant that I’d come home to have a more hands on “self-love” than I’d let myself do that too. 

Love will come when it’s meant to, but in the meantime, we should cherish the love we have for ourselves and those around us. Whether you’re in love, looking for love, or simply loving life, Valentine’s Day is a reminder that love exists in countless forms. Embrace it, celebrate it, and most importantly, never forget to love yourself.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I had to change my usual work from home day from Friday to today this week. I have a class to teach on Friday, so I need to be there. Honestly, it couldn’t come on a better day. Yesterday was incredibly busy and stressful. It’s never a good sign when you have to call your boss with bad news, and her response is, “Oh, shit.” A project that I’ve spent months on all fell apart yesterday. It was not through any fault of my own, but the person I was depending on basically pulled out of the project. 

Luckily, I was able to cancel the announcements before they were mailed out. I also had to pull all of the other promotional materials that had already gone out. While I was able to prevent a public disaster, it took most of my time yesterday. On top of that, I also had class to teach and a meeting off campus yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, I was physically and mentally exhausted by the time I got home.

Oh, and just because I’m working from home, doesn’t mean that everything is peachy. What really started off my day yesterday was that I found out as I was leaving for work that there had been a water main break, and my apartment complex would have our water shut off at 6 pm that night. 

By the time I got home, the notice had changed to an order to conserve water and that only flushing toilets was allowed. I’d planned to wash clothes today, something I often do on my WFH days. Because of a migraine over the weekend, I had put off doing laundry. Thankfully, I have enough clothes for the rest of the week, and I can hope that water is fully restored by this weekend.

🎶Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life🎶

I’m not sure yawning and stretching helped me come alive this morning. I feel like I could sleep for another hour or so, even though I went to bed early last night. I wish I could stay home, but I didn’t have a good excuse. Besides i need to go to work because I have several things I need to do. Hopefully, this week will fly by.

Did anyone watch the Super Bowl last night? I decided not to watch. I didn’t care about either team playing, the halftime show didn’t interest me, and for several years now, the commercials have been lackluster. So, I skipped watching and went to bed early.

Have a great week, everyone!

I slept later than usual this morning, and am still trying to fully wake up. I don’t have much to say today, except it’s another Monday, another workday, and another snowy day. Nothing exciting here.

I hope you all have a great week ahead!