It’s Valentine’s Day … and an unexpected day off, due to icy weather. It feels a bit like a Valentine’s Day gift.

When I was very young, I was ambivalent about Valentine’s Day. Then I moved to stridently anti-Valentine’s, due to the lack of romance in my life at the time. Valentine’s seemed to be less a time of celebrating love, then rubbing it in the face of those of us who were feeling noticeably – embarrassingly – unloved.

I later came around to feel that Valentine’s was not so much a time for celebrating romance, but rather love and friendship. That felt much better, much truer to me.

And, today, I think that Valentine’s Day is also for honoring, celebrating, and loving oneself. For if we can’t love ourselves – who we are, what we do, and how we spend our moments – then how can we truly love others?

In massage therapy, we learn that it is vitally important to care for ourselves first. An unhealthy massage therapist is not a very good massage therapist for anyone else. In the same spirit, if we can’t take pleasure in who we are, how can we expect others to?

So I hope you will take a moment today to first be your own Valentine. Take a moment not to judge, or self-critique, or criticize. (I think many of us spend too much time already in those unhealthy pursuits.) Instead, take a moment to find something within that makes you special and so worthy of love. Something that makes you smile. Have a bit of chocolate. Or buy yourself some flowers. Do something special for yourself.

And, then, do something special for someone in your life.

As I was doing my yoga yesterday, I was joined by Groucho, one of my cats. She often sits in on my practices, patiently waiting for savasana and meditation, when she can crawl under my prayer blanket for a cozy snooze.

Yesterday, I asked her in my heart to communicate with me, to share a secret with me. And, she told me this:

I live. I love. I rest.

It sounds like a plenty good philosophy to me. And, it also sounds like a good blessing for this peaceful holiday.

On this day, may you …

Live. Love. Rest.

Namasté
Jackie