The 14 Days of Valentine's Day: Feb. 14th

Dear Faithful Readers,

Well, today is the day: February 14th, Valentine's Day! And, as such, my last blog post in the "14 Days of Valentine's Day" series.

Today was the first Valentine's Day in which I didn't feel sorry for myself about not having a "significant other" to celebrate the day with. In fact, I was gently reminded (in many ways over the past 14 days) of how loved I already am. For example, I am both grateful and thankful that I have two wonderful and loving parents who support me in both my career and in my personal life. I am blessed to have an "extended single life," as I think I may start calling it, in order to be able to appreciate my parents, spend more time with them, and learn about myself.

Second, I am able to learn how to care for myself and incorporate the activities that I like into my daily life. Today, I took myself to the coffee shop (yet, again for it is my second home), read the newspaper and dove right into Ernest Hemingway's book, The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway has a natural ebb and flow to his writing that makes it so easy to read and yet so hard to put down. The dichotomy of being such an incredible writer and author is amazing. There is a part of the book where he lets us into the lives of Jake and Lady Brett. Their conversation is a peculiar one about love, as stated in this following excerpt:

"It's funny," I said. "It's very funny. And, it's a lot of fun, too, to be in love."
"Do you think so?" Her eyes looked flat again.
"I don't mean fun that way. It's an enjoyable feeling."

For Valentine's Day, society has altered the human race into "thinking" or "believing" for that matter, that love is all about the "romantic" kind. However, we fail to realize the other types of love that are around us on a daily basis, such as the love for our neighbors, the familial love, the friend love, etc.

Love is so much more than that. I know that someday, I will experience the romantic side of love. I always thought that would come in the city, and the state that I live in, that is, Providence, RI. Yet, an article published in today's Providence Journal has indicated maybe it's not me, but the "numbers" as the writer had shared. Written by Jenna Pelletier, Journal Staff Writer for the Journal, "Providence is the second-worst dating city in the country for young, college-educated women seeking a college-educated man." Either more men should come to RI or I should pack my suitcases and jet off to California, where the male population seems a little more promising. (haha) You can read the full article by clicking here: love article

Along similar lines, Mark Patinkin writes a wonderfully hilarious commentary, that you can find, and that you should absolutely read, here. He writes that when women say "don't bother," they absolutely mean "bother." He also writes that "...if you get women a Crock-Pot or Swiffer on Valentine's Day it's a war crime." Then, he shares a tidbit of information amidst the amusement: "I suppose the difference is women measure affection by what you buy them. One told me it counts against you if you get roses at the grocery instead of at a florist - even if they're identical. That's a lot of pressure."

And so, my friends, I leave you with the last blog post of Valentine's Day 2016. May you know just how loved and appreciated you already are, whether you're single, in a relationship, engaged, recently broken up, married, widowed, etc. We all deserve to experience love and it is my hope that you experience is this year.

-cheers!