Day 2: Gimme some of that sugar.

Chocolate, I dedicate this to you. Most single people complain about Valentine’s Day but in my humble opinion, any day that sanctifies exponential chocolate and flower exchange I am definitely okay with. Is there anything better than your roommate/best friend surprising you in the morning with your favorite kind of chocolate and a hilarious card? Is there any better way to feel confident in trading in an exam that took you a total of 20 minutes to complete for a Hershey’s bar? And does anything quite heal a broken heart like a milky way? Nope. Not in my world.

Walking around campus I swear everything was better. People smiled more, held doors for others, professors let class out early, and most of all everyone was kinder.    

They were definitely feeling the love. 

But the day wasn't better for all of us. And for those who have a pain in their heart that got a little bigger today. For those who felt the loss of someone they love a little more acutely, if today was harder than the rest to get through, I hope you know that chocolate helps that too.

You know what else you have, besides that ache in your heart? You have people who love you. Yes, there are people who are not around, people who have left you. Some left by choice, some didn't  And it’s so easy to focus on that pain and that ache in our hearts. It’s so easy to curl up in bed and let all the love that’s in the air today blow us into a spiral of sadness and thoughts of what used to be or could have been.

You know what else is easy? Letting love in. Love from your family and from your friends.  There is someone whose day gets a little brighter when you walk into a room. Someone who can’t help but laugh when you laugh, someone who leans on you when they don’t feel strong enough on their own. Those people love you. They need you. You matter to them. Revel in the joy of having those people. You are not alone.

It may not be the love that you want, but most often it’s the love that you need.

Valentine’s Days is about love. Every kind of love. Celebrate it, and be thankful for every moment you have it.

And on those days where your heart hurts a little more than you think you can handle, chocolate helps that too. Check the bottom drawer in one of your favorite professor’s offices, it’s where they hide the best candy, and do some soul searching.

It’s always worked for me.

Okay, the chocolate has nothing to do with the soul searching, but it makes having to go to class on a day when the sun is shining and love is in the air a little more bearable.

Happy Valentine’s Day. I am thankful for those who love me, even when I am the worst version of myself. And I am thankful for those who I love, the ones who help me be the best version of myself.

And yes, chocolate too.

I’m also thankful for Katy’s secret candy stash. Makes my freaking day.