Love & Relationships

Love and relationships intrigue me.  They've inspired me, confused me and they've taught me so much about who I am. They can be challenging, difficult and just plain hard, but on any given day, I’d rather be found curled up in the arms of my man than to be without love.  That’s why I've dedicated this corner to love and all those who are hoping, praying, wishing and striving for that one relationship that opens your heart and captures your soul.

Funny Valentine

Kelly’s alarm clock blared loudly and without even opening her eyes she reached over to the nightstand to turn it off.  Her finger pushed the button and like that the annoying sound had stopped.  She reluctantly got out of bed and went about her morning ritual, choosing to ignore what today is.  She had only planned on doing cardio this morning but quickly realized the day would definitely call for some added stress relief so she thought a little Yoga at the end of her workout routine would be helpful.  Those few moments of reflection would make a world of difference in dealing with today.  The thought of even leaving the house filled her with dread.  “Why can’t I just stay in until all of this is over?” She asked out loud, knowing there was no one else around to answer.  Kelly knew that as long as she was indoors she could control her environment but once she stepped outside of her safe haven the world would bombard her with its own agenda.  Today signified the one thing that she didn’t want to be reminded of, that she was unattached on Valentine’s Day.  It wasn’t that Kelly necessarily wanted to be in a relationship but this day in particular reminded her that she wasn’t.  She already knew what it would be like when she got to work; the floral deliveries, the desired, but unwanted chocolates, co-workers squealing about their plans later that night and of course whispers about the single girl. It was a small company and all of the others had someone, even if it was only for the night, after all “who wanted to be alone on Valentine’s Day?” One of her co-workers had made a point of asking when the subject had come up earlier in the week.  Everyone in the office knew that Kelly and Ben had broken up a year ago, and besides widowed Mrs. Johnson she was the only other single female in the office.  The very thing that she didn’t want to happen did, for a moment Kelly got caught up in all the hoopla and it left her yearning for the romance that surrounded this cupid filled day.  Thankfully it passed and she was able to pull herself together.   Kelly enjoyed this time in her life and being single on a day other than today suited her just fine.  Often times she relished in fact that she didn’t have a man; no one to answer to and no compromising, especially on Lifetime Sundays.  It was the one day of the week she gave herself permission to curl up on the couch and overdose on endless movie watching.  After church and lunch with her family Kelly would go home, change into her favorite yoga pants and get immersed in movies filled with desire and love.  It was quite a contrast to the days of non-stop football games that dominated the television when she was with Ben.  She really didn’t understand men and their incessant need to watch sports.  It was almost comical to her, the stats, the predictions and all the sideline coaching from the couch.  She hadn’t realized how much Ben and sports had become a part of her life.  Even now, there were mornings when she would be running on her treadmill and unconsciously turn the television to ESPN instead of her usual dose of the news.  Sometimes she still thought of Ben but especially today she wouldn’t allow herself to regardless of how much everything around her said she should.

Valentine’s Day was the one day of the year where her singleness stood out like a sore thumb but it wasn’t to be confused with those Saturday brunches with her mom and sister where she had to endure her mother’s barrage of questions as to “why wasn’t she married like her sister and what was she waiting for?  It was never ending and Kelly pushed the thought out of her mind that her mother purposely set up these brunches in order to grill her about her personal life.  She and her sister, Kate would give each other knowing glances, and sometimes even nudge each other under the table just as they had done when they were little girls.  It was their way of banding together.  Ever since childhood they had created this bond of sisterhood and sticking together especially when their mother chastised one of them, like now.  Kelly and her other single girlfriends would forge ahead, making a declaration of not being ignored on this day that is set aside for couples.  For the last couple of years they would go to a restaurant of their choice, have dinner and a couple of glasses of wine to celebrate the fact that they weren’t hiding behind closed doors in the sanctuary of their homes but instead enjoying life as it came.  Yes, Kelly was definitely looking forward to this Valentine’s filled event they had planned, now to just get through the work day.  As she sat at her desk she could hear the squeal of another excited co-worker.  Kelly slapped her hand on her forehead, not sure of how much more of this she could take.  At this time last year Kelly would have definitely been one of the squealers, she had been in a relationship with ben and if she had predicted anything it would have been that the two of them would have been engaged in the near future but that was short lived when the end of their relationship came abruptly and ben decided that he needed space.

 Finally after lunchtime things in the office had settled down and everyone continued with their work day.  Before leaving work, Kelly had received an email from her sister telling her about a nice guy that worked with Kate’s husband that she wanted to introduce her to.  Oh, no mom has gotten to her, Kelly thought.  While she was in the process of responding to her sister’s email her computer dinged with signaling a new message, it was an electronic card from her best friend Lisa.  It was a virtual drink in preparation for their much anticipated night.  Kelly laughed and thought to herself how much fun the two of them would have.