Valentine's Day

Last year, I was single on Valentine's Day and going through a depression. I was curious to see what my post was for that day, thinking I would have posted something depressing, but instead, this is what I found:

Here are my 2 cents on love, this Valentine’s Day, hated by many, but not me. I have lots of reasons to be angry and bitter after so much heartbreak in my life, but I’m not. I believe in love. Love is beautiful and wonderful. It’s about honesty, mutual respect, putting others first. Love is unconditional. It’s about wanting what’s best for someone else, even if that means giving up what you want, ...even if it hurts. I would rather fall in love and have my heart broken, then to never love at all.

So, to my fellow singles, don’t hate Valentine’s Day, because you’re alone, celebrate love and all it stands for. And to those of you in relationships, cherish what you have, not just today, but everyday, because love is special, please don’t take it for granted.

 

Beautiful words from a heartbroken person. One year later and my whole life has changed. I'm no longer heartbroken or depressed, I'm happier than I've been in a long time.

 

Part of my happiness comes from being in love with a wonderful man. Mark is so good to me and for me. This is the healthiest relationship I've ever been in and WOW, it's amazing. He actually treats me the way I deserve to be treated and when I think about all my past relationships, how the men treated me, how I let them treat me, it makes me so sad that I let that go on for so long. Thankfully, that is all in the past.

I am so lucky to have Mark in my life and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. Everything about our relationship is so easy, well, maybe except for the distance, but even that isn't too bad. He lives just over an hour away, but instead of making our relationship difficult, I think it just makes us appreciate the time we do get to spend together that much more.

 

Another reason for my happiness is that I started working out again. I used to work out at LA Fitness, but quit going when I was dating the drunk. He didn't like it that I wouldn't come straight home, but he didn't like that I was fat either, go figure. I didn't realize how much I missed working out and being active, until I got back in to a workout routine.

 

I have to work out as part of my health/pe class for school and I was really dreading it, but I love taking the class in conjunction with working out. In class, I'm learning about healthy ways to change my life and be successful. In the gym, I'm working with a trainer and doing a good work out program to mazimize the benefits of working out.

So far, I haven't really noticed any changes in my weight, it's only been four weeks, but I have noticed my body starting to change slightly, my clothes are fitting differently. I also have more energy and I FEEL GREAT!

This Valentine's Day I will take my advice from last year. I will cherish what I have. I will celebrate my love for Mark and my love for me and the positive changes I am making in my life.

I hope you can celebrate the love this Valentine's Day and pay it forward when and where you can.

 

Do one small thing for someone else

Doing one small thing for someone else, might not mean anything to us, but could mean everything to someone else.

Yesterday, I did a small thing. I gave the gas station attendant some throat lozenges. He was coming down with something and had a scratchy throat. Giving those to him, made no difference to me, but I bet they made a huge difference to him and how he felt.

The other day, my mom let an elderly woman go in front of us at the grocery store. She just had a few items, we had a cart full. The woman was go grateful and couldn't stop thanking us. It was really not a big deal and neither mom or I thought anything of doing it, but for that woman, it meant the world to her.

What small thing can you do to make someone's day better?