i guess i’m supposed to be bitter because i don’t have any “special” plans for valentine’s day. interesting….

i could see all the reasons why i WOULD be bitter, and i could lament them here, but that’s not the focal point of this post. i’m actually really excited about this valentine’s day.

for one, i have an interview today for an awesome summer internship. i’m really excited about the position and i’m ready for the interview (only after having two straight days of interviewing for ANOTHER position that i’m very excited for).

another reason i’m really excited about today is because i’ll be dining at this great hibachi steakhouse with my surrogate parents (pdub and felicia) and my lovely surrogate little sis (lauryn) for a birthday celebration.

and finally, i’m going to the ebony fashion fair tonight! i’ve been seeing those ads in ebony my whole life, and i finally get to go. not to mention the ticket was free! yeah buddy…

i say all of this to say that it is so clear to me that i have love in my life, even if it’s not in the way that is usually celebrated on valentine’s day. i’m so blessed to be surrounded by people who love and care about me.

to my fellow singles- take some time to realize the love that you DO have in your life instead of focusing on what you don’t have. it’s a blessing to be single and to spend time getting to know yourself and what you like/don’t like. it took me a long time to come to that realization, but i’m glad i know now…

After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads
On today, because tomorrow’s ground
Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have
A way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate
Your own soul instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure…
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn…
With every goodbye you learn.

if there is one thing that i’ve witnessed and truly believe, it’s that dealing with some people requires a lot more grace than dealing with others. when i was younger, i remember reading a quote by Plato that said:”be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” that quote always stuck with me, and as i got older, i just remember really recognizing how important it was to treat people with respect and compassion because you really don’t know what they are facing in their life. you never know when people are on the brink of their breakdown- or their breakthrough, and you could be the one to push them over the edge either way.

i say all of this because of a conversation that i had with a friend last night on how someone from her church was really being negative to her, and because of a situation that i encountered on my job today. i truly believe that some people just require a little more discipline, a little more grace, and a little more love to even make their presence bearable. however, when i think of all the discipline, grace, and love that GOD has shown to me, i figure that the least i can do is try to exhibit that in my interactions with others; which is seriously one of the hardest things i’ve done. but at the end of the day, i don’t want to be accountable for causing harm (of any kind) to someone because i was rude to them.

my challenge to the few readers of this blog…let’s try kindness for a week. be encouraged all!

“be kind to unkind people- they need it the most” ~ashleigh brilliant

“kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ~mother teresa