An Ode to Valentine’s Day for the Single Folk

Valentine’s Day can be a confronting time for single folks.

We see roses adorning shop windows, chocolates and flowers being delivered to our offices, and couples out and about holding hands.

Perhaps it reminds us of relationships we’re no longer in.

Perhaps it reminds us of mistakes we’ve made.

It can reopen wounds from childhood.

It can make us feel like we’re not enough.

But being single should be a time to be savored.

It is an opportunity.

It’s an opportunity to both work on ourselves, and learn to accept and love ourselves just as we are.

We can use the time to develop our emotional intelligence.

We can use it to develop our skills and take up new hobbies.

We can use it to travel and go on adventures.

We can use it to better understand who we are, and what we are capable of.

We can use it to become more compelling individuals and as a result, attract the right people into our lives.

When we learn to do that, we enter into relationships for the right reasons — not merely because we need ‘completing’ or validating, or because we are…