Be Your Own Valentine

It’s the 14^th of February- the world is an adorable sight- full of pink and red hearts, teddy bears, flowers and lovey-dovey messages flooding social media! Valentine’s Day has come a long way- from being a celebration of Universal love to becoming the most romantic day of the year for couples. While the latter is just a narrow version of what this day was meant to be, for me it’s about celebrating the feeling of Love- towards oneself and towards humanity.

It all beings with ‘Self’

“Fall in Love with someone who enjoys your madness,
Not an Idiot who forces you to be normal.”

 I read this line on the internet a long while ago and it’s been my mantra ever since. But it was only sometime back that the real message behind this quote dawned on me. I used to previously think that it is about looking for a partner and well, even friends with whom you can be yourself but these lines speak much more. In order to be yourself, you must first learn to accept yourself- and respect your existence. That includes accepting your flaws and loving yourself for who you are. The madness vibe that you carry along is unique- and while you look for people who appreciate it, you must first be confident enough of emanating this vibe!

"I am not a mannequin"

Taking the previous paragraph ahead, I’d like to narrate an experience. Sometime back my parents received a call from a lady who got my details from a marriage bureau and sent in a proposal for her well-qualified son. Apparently the family was impressed with my social media as well and was keen on meeting us. I turned in for the meet with my family- but without any makeup! Everyone on the other side was disappointed though- for they expected to see a glam-doll strutting in stilettos. After getting a heavy dose of disappointed faces, I was confronted with the weirdest question ever by the ‘well-settled’ corporate guy- “So you don’t apply makeup everyday”.

“I am not a mannequin” was my short and sweet answer and of course, a statement which did not go down well with my new audience.

Being the ‘perfect partner’

So what do you do for impressing your love- for being the ideal one or the ‘perfect partner’? Hitting the gym to get rid of those cellulites, adding some more creams to your daily skin care routine, working overtime for an S-class mean machine, studying harder to be friends with that cute girl on the first bench- each of these attempts practically sounds good, but the question is- whom are you doing these things for?

Setting goals and working towards them is always a good idea- but it makes better sense if you do these things for yourself first! Of course, the reasons that are mentioned above and similar ones can work as  strong catalysts but in the end- it’s your own journey- keep going, keep growing because you deserve to be the best version of yourself.

Being your own Valentine

A lot of people must be going on a date today or just spending some quality time with their partner, some would crying out loud over a break-up while some would be hoping for their twin-flame to magically appear. No matter what your relationship status is- take some time off to appreciate yourself and confess to self-love. Taking this on a deeper level- you can only give what you have in abundance and that means to be a truly loving partner your own soul should be abundant with this divine feeling.

So before you step out to look out for or to make memories with your Valentine, make sure that you are your own Valentine and continue being your real and awesome self!

Wish you all an amazing Valentines’ Day 2019!