Things I Love...by Hillie Gaither

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Vday isn't so bad
Unless you convince yourself it is because you think that having someone to take you out on Feburary 14th means love.

It's a work in progress.

So yes, it's Valentine's Day and no, I have not miraculously fallen in love since my last post. My Hetero-Life-Partner is at work, and I'm at home secretly wanting to go to bed and secretly wanting to go booze.

And secretly wishing I had plans.

I cannot remember the last time I was actually dating someone during Valentine's Day (well someone who was sober enough to remember that he should do something about it). Maybe not even ever. When I was in college living in the sorority house the foyer would FILL up with flowers on Vday. With every delivery someone would get on the page "SoandSo you have flowers in the foyer...come get them so we can hear the card". The squeals and awwwww's would fill the house at remarkable rates and decibels. The only coping strategy I really had was cynicism.

And a little dash of hope/revenge. You know the moment of Fall (usually just before the holidays) when you vow to have a date for Valentine's Day and show that you, too, can get squealy when your flowers show up? It's yet to come to fruition. So every year I flail to find plans with my girls. You know the moment when you convince yourself that you'd rather have a night with just the girls?

Except this year. Again, I am not in love and don't really have any prospects. But I have this remarkable calm about not having anything to do. I have AMAZING friends (boys and girls) whom I know I love. Like a really intense and googly love.

This is new for me. I used to have a million best friends because I wouldn't want to exclude anyone. But the reality is that I have been spread too thin and never really allowed myself to trust anyone to know me better than I know myself. But over the past six months or so I've been focusing on relationships that give and take with equal pride and desire. Because of this I am a better friend, sister, daughter, and future wife.I have truly never been happier and more in love with myself, my life, and the uncertainty of what or where I'll be next Valentine's Day. And I feel like this newly realized capability will help me break the cycle (see pic from PostSecret)

So I'm off to meet up with those great friends to drink vodka, laugh, and remind ourselves what love really is. I know that one day I'll get flowers and goo over them. In the mean time I am reminded and truly AMAZED at the daily opportunities I get to Love and be loved.

Some Amazing A-Musings to come:


Something else I LOVE: The Olympics. Here are some observations for the games thus far:
*I LOVE Azerbaijan's pants.
*I LOVE that I am convinced I would be great at curling if I practiced
*I LOVE that the athletes who mogul ski could crush my head with their thighs.
*I LOVE the fact that since played Summer sports so those games are nostalgic for me...but I am constantly impressed by every winter sport. I mean I don't watch badminton or baseball and think, "I could NEVER do that".
*My heart aches for the family of the Georgian man...but I love that every time I talk about it I feel obliged to say "The other One...not peaches"
*I LOVE that I get weak when I see an Olympian standing on the highest podium mouthing the words to their national anthem trying to fight back tears.
*I Love that I am 100 x's weaker if that Olympian is American.

Until then, with MUCH LOVE,

ghg~