WHY FEBRUARY IS SPECIAL

 
- Desiree Samuels, Contributing Writer

February is always special in many aspects.  First and foremost, the day after Valentine’s Day is my birthday.   I love the fact that I was born in the month known to many all over the world as the month of “love”.  And those of us who are more political, consider February to be a very powerful month as it is the month of “Presidents’ Birthdays”.   Interestingly enough, many of the world’s powerful  leader s, including Abraham Lincoln, were born in February.   What a great month!    The memories and thrills of special childhood birthday celebrations linger on, yet those years have long passed.  However, at  43, there’s a new  thrill to February, St. Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day…and getting older!

This month, the month of love, I want to concentrate on “self love”.  Somewhere in the shuffle, when I became a mom, I think I forgot about myself.  I forgot that every once in a while, I need to pat myself on the back and remind myself that I am doing the best I can.  That I am not perfect and I never will be.  That the most important thing to do is to try to be the best I can be, the best mother, the best wife, the best in every aspect of me.  I need to console myself when I need to and congratulate myself on little successes every now and again.  When did I become so involved in life that I forgot about myself?  Yes, this month is the month of love, but also the month of power.  The power to rise above it all and  to feel comfortable and confident in my decisions  and the path that I am on.

It takes both power and love to accept yourself and the others around you.  Maybe there is some truth to that famous saying, “Love conquers all.”  I think that by accepting and loving yourself for who you are, you become more powerful and less judgmental of others.  Maybe then, when you become less judgmental and comfortable in your own skin, there will be less conflict all around.  So here’s to February, the month of powerful love!  May we all remember, in the complexity and hubbub of modern life, to love ourselves and one another.  For self love makes us all stronger, and more able to both give and receive!