In the spirit of loving my damn self, I walk into Valentine’s Day with an open heart, a winning smile and a dashing date.
Oh yes, I’m sooo excited for vday this year! To be honest I’m excited every year… hello a whole day in celebration of L-O-V-E. It’s a hopeful romantics kryptonite.
And it’s not only Eros that fuels my passion for this day. It’s the kindness, compassionate and acceptance that comes from your mother, good friends, and even sometimes unplanned company.
Maybe it’s because my sister brought me ‘Love in Colour’ by Bolu Babalola this Christmas, or because of a new beau in my life. But this Valentines, I really feel empowered by all the celebration of love.
Whether it’s people unashamedly claiming their bodies and painful experiences on instagram, or the new layer of softness in my friends who between them, seem be running a production line of babies. I’m really seeing the depth of self-love, and personal growth that comes from understanding who you are.
See, I’ve often found loving myself hard, what with my awkwardness, big boobs, bigger tummy, short Afro hair, and more recently bunions! But coming into my thirties I’ve let so much of my obsession with physicality go, and it’s left room for so much more.
Not to say I was ever vacuous, nor lacking emotional depth. But I was so concerned with the measuring up of my womanhood to others, I had no chance to acknowledge my gifts.
My ability to talk the pants off an elephant, my loyalty in friendship, my support to those ones I love. My ability to see a glass half full, and my never ending ideas for new ventures through creative springs has led me to this blog, which I’m eternally grateful for.
This strive inwards, hasn’t been easy. There’s been therapy, advice from aunties, reading, mediation, and big hugs (virtually and IRL). But taking time to nurture each of these gifts has made me more and more in love with myself.
Naysayers would say “Ha! Another commercially filled excuse to guilt us into spending money”. But you don’t have to spend money. Sharing the love is free and infinite.
It starts with taking those moments to just be you. Maybe your a free spirit dying to break free from the shackles of your job. Maybe there’s an idea you’ve had for ages but scared to try. A person you love/like, but your too scared to tell them how you feel. A lost friend you miss, but want to reconnect. A special place that brings you joy, or asking a professional for help when you feel stuck.
All of these things are love, and if any of the above resonates with you, listening to your desires, and taking thoughtful steps to bring them into fruition, could be the first steps toward the greatest love of all, thanks Whitney.
Sending you all a little light, and lots of love wherever you are this valentines 💗
Hammôck 