When Valentines Day Makes Your Heart Ache

Valentines Day can be lonely. And sometimes walking through the store filled with flowers and chocolates and ridiculously sized teddy bears can make you  feel a bit left out.

(Although I’ve never been one to get that excited about gifts. I would much rather receive a sincerely written love letter.)

And your heart cracks a little, not because you ACTUALLY want a six foot teddy bear but because you want to know what a love that big feels like. You want to know what it’d be like to have a hand to hold and someone to laugh with. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that someone actually cares, like really? To have someone who thinks all the weird parts of you are beautiful and who believes in you and cheers you on?  Someone you can laugh with and dance barefoot in the kitchen with. Someone to snuggle up with to watch Netflix. Someone you can share life with and who wants to walk with you in grace along this crazy journey of everyday life.

Well the truth is that real relationships look nothing like that.

BUT ALSO

Who decided all of that has to come from some guy?

Because I don’t know about you girl, but all of that sounds more like what happens when I get together with the crazy awesome women in my life and let them into my mess. I think we under value platonic relationships.  I think we’ve lost the spirit of Valentine’s Day. It’s supposed to be about love but we’ve made it all about ourselves and being forever alone and wanting a man and needing to feel better  and BLAH BLAH BLAH.

The other day at Starbucks this three year old comes in throwing a fit and whining at his mom because she wouldn’t give him chocolate milk. “But I want it!”

And my first thought (even though it wasn’t nice) was, “Wow, what a brat.” and without missing a beat God whispered to my heart, “Oh really, because he kind of sounds like you.”

And that was an OH SNAP moment for me and I realized how whiny I can sound when it comes to relationships.  How selfish I can be. How I miss all the amazing goodness right in front of me because I am so focused on what I think I want.

This is such a beautiful time for us to get over ourselves and to love on each other as women.

Buy a dozen roses and give them to your closest single friends. Grab some girls and sit down to watch New Girl or Pride and Prejudice with a gallon of cookie dough ice cream. Share about all your past awkward dating experiences and belly laugh hard about it. Dance crazy in you polka dot PJs. Sing love songs at the top of your lungs to each other and don’t be afraid to cry and snuggle and hugs are always a good thing too.

I am not going to lie to you. Spending an evening with a man would be totally different.  Men are a completely different box of crayons all together. Spending time with the girls wont’ be the same, no, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be SO GOOD for your soul.

Because girl, one day you’re going to find a guy. He’ll take you out and he’ll side swipe you off your feet and you’ll fall in love with that goober no matter how hard you try and you’ll have the rest of your life to spend Valentine’s Day with him.

But right now?

You only have a few crazy awesome Valentines to spend single. To spend with the amazing women in your life and you might not believe me but girl, you’re going to miss this. So count this Valentine’s Day as a blessing.

Eat chocolate. Eat Ice Cream. Laugh so hard you make that awkward snort sound you hate. Light Candles. Don’t shave. Dance. Scream. And don’t be afraid to say that four letter word. It’s not just going to be okay girl, it’s going to be good, really good.

You are so loved this Valentines Day even if no one has told you yet.

Rock on.

~Britt