love YOU…

Last night, just as the clock struck midnight on the East Coast and Twitter became inundated with wishes of love, I headed down to the Lauryn Hill concert, solo.  I’d like to preface this by saying; I pretty much never hit the town alone.  I’m nervous and awkward and find small talk relatable to torture of an extreme variety. In any event, I went to; 1, challenge myself and more importantly, 2, to see an act that I loved dearly growing up.  Despite all of the warnings of how she has changed, and how unreliable her performances are, I wanted to see for myself.  Plus, I’m sure there’s some saying that begins something like, when in Vegas….

As I stood in the packed House of Blues and bumped along singing to Sweetest Thing, physically alone, I couldn’t picture a place I’d rather be.  I was enjoying one of my favorite artists surrounded by people who seemed to share my affections and I couldn’t help thinking that although Valentine’s is structured to be a celebration of love between partners, it could just as easily be a celebration of the love you have for yourself.  Lauryn made it even more poignant by pulling off a stellar performance, leaving the demons at bay for the time she commanded center stage.

If all of the teachings I’ve heard over the years are true, love for self is the paramount action.  Without it there is little room for others to properly burrow into your heart, to properly receive your best love and for you to properly give yours.

If today you find yourself without an ‘other half’, don’t let Hallmark get you down.  Treat yourself to a little bit of love of the most consistent variety, because the only real constant in YOUR life is YOU.

Love yourself today.

xo,

[coco]