“Love the One You’re With”

“If you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with.” -Crosby, Stills and Nash

Don’t have a romantic partner for this Valentine’s Day? Is that a reason to hide out until all of the glowing couples relinquish the over-crowded restaurants to some semblance of normalcy, or to complain about the lack of available men (or women) with which to form a long-lasting relationship?

How about taking a new perspective of this holiday? In this moment-by-moment world we live in, what if we took the message of Valentine’s Day to heart by sharing our lives in a more loving way with those we are with, whether they are our romantic partner, friend, neighbor . . . or a total stranger.

I’m not talking about romance. And our “giving” doesn’t have to be monumental. A kind word of appreciation, an expression of gratitude for someone’s presence in your life, an acknowledgment of what the person means to you, a phone call to someone you haven’t talked to in a long time—all of these can make someone feel loved and special.  Isn’t that what we all want in our lives?  To feel that we matter to someone, to know that someone cares how our day is going?

Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate love and all those you deeply care about.  What if you just opened your heart a little wider to encompass and acknowledge those in your life right now?

Who inspires love?  Who gets you to open your heart and to allow love in?  It could be a friend, a lover, a family member or a pet . . . I believe that it doesn’t matter who you love, how you love or what you love . . . but that you love.  There are endless possibilities.

Love is a choice.  Choose to open your heart a little wider, to invite someone in to spend this precious moment in time with you. How can you make this “someone” in your life feel special by treating him (or her) as if s/he were the most important person in the world – your loved one?

And don’t stop with today . . . keep it going. Every day could be a day to celebrate love.

No one need ever feel alone or lonely . . . Just love the one you’re with!