A note from The Monday Life team: Our hearts are with Dean Smith’s family & all those in the community who loved and respected him. He not only made basketball better, he made the world better…and his legacy will inspire us every day.
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So the person you have a crush on didn’t text you back. You just broke up with somebody. You haven’t met the right person yet.
And it’s almost Valentine’s Day.
You’re prepared to cozy up with the essentials:
#1. More Chinese food than should be allowed (pizza could also be substituted here)
#2. Chocolate (or, if you’re me, all the sour candy in the universe)
#3. The Notebook (come on, you’re better than this! Even Ryan Gosling thinks so)
Honestly, on a day that’s all about being together, it’s easy to feel lonely. Or bummed. Or maybe even a little bitter.
But sometimes, especially on the day devoted to giant teddy bears (what do people do with those things, anyway?) and candy hearts, we forget something really cliché, and really important:
We forget that there are so many different kinds of love in this world. And I bet most of us are lucky enough to have experienced a few of them.
It’s easy to get caught up in what love is “supposed to” look like: Grand romantic gestures, dozens of flowers, surprise gifts, jet-setting travel…
And we save it all up for this one day: The day that’s all about love.
Well, don’t get me wrong—romantic love is great! Who doesn’t want to meet their soulmate, right? But maybe it isn’t all about one day. Maybe it isn’t about how it looks—but how it feels.
Every day is a love day.
And every kind of love matters.
Love is caring when you don’t have to and noticing the things no one else does. Love is cheering someone on and trying your best to make someone’s life a little better. It’s about being there when things are good, and when things are really bad…it’s about remembering, understanding, helping other people, making them happy.
Most of these are things aren’t ones you can Instagram, like a dozen roses and or a Nicholas Spark's novel. But they are the ones that really count. And chances are, these are the things we’ll look back on and remember. We may not remember the thing someone got us—but I bet we’ll always remember the love they brought into our lives.
If you haven’t met the Great Love of Your Life, don’t worry (easier said than done, I know). I think we get multiple Loves of Our Lives: Some are people. Some are amazing opportunities or moments or memories. And the good thing about it is, love happens all the time. Not just February 14th (and 15th, when they mark down all the delicious candy).
So as tempting as it may be to spend Saturday singing Adele ballads, maybe we can change the way we see love this year: Maybe we could focus all our good energy on the love we can give rather than just the love we receive.
Because you know what they say—
Everything you put out into the world makes its way back to you.
May your life—and your Valentine’s Day—be filled with love of all kinds.
Rainesford Alexandra
The Monday Life Communications
@Rainesford