Thread by @diaryofa9jagirl

I woke up this morning and tried to think about the last time I had a Valentine’s date and I realized that I haven’t had one in a long time. I felt sad at first but one thing I avoided was tell myself, “Don’t worry, you’d get one next year,” because what if I don’t?

I calmed myself down and thought about the love I have been shown in life. I realized that I have been loved by people in so many ways, but not being shown love in a certain way - romantically - made me feel like I had never experienced it.

I looked back on my life and thought about how significant I had made romantic love be in my life. Yes, it is a good thing to experience, but there are greater forms of love I should be grateful for.

I thought about my family. My ever-supportive loving family. I thought about the sacrifices that they have made for me. And I asked myself, “Could love get any better?”

I thought about my friends. My lovely, funny and attentive friends. Always there to give me a shoulder to lean on. Always ready to crack jokes with me and laugh to mine. And I asked myself again, “Could love get any better?”

I thought about people who have impacted my life in one way or the other. People who appreciate my work and are always keen to see my next work and to see me grow. And I meditated on that love and how easy it is for people to choose not to love you but they chose to love me.

Then I thought about God. I thought about how merciful and loving He has been to me. How He never stops providing, how faithful and loyal He has been. And I wondered, “Is there anything purer than this?”

It was at that moment I realized how much I have consumed myself with the need for romantic love, that I become miserable whenever I’m not being shown that. I fail to see how well I am surrounded with love.

I have discovered that the absence of romantic love does not mean I am not worthy of love. There are other forms of love and I have decided to bask in them gloriously. This is the last time I put so much pressure on myself for not being shown romantic love.

It will surely come, but until then, I intend to feel every bit of love that I am shown by God, my family and my friends.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Written for: Diaryofanaijagirl