I don't celebrate Valentine's Day

But I do celebrate love.

All kinds of love. Not just the romantic or sexual aspects of love that are glamorized in pop culture. I celebrate the kind of love one conscious being can have for another, rooted in a love for oneself.

I believe we can't truly love others until we love ourselves. This healthy, conscious, natural love comes from knowing and understanding ourselves. Thus, all love begins with self-knowledge.

When I can know myself, I can understand myself and accept myself. When I can love myself, my love for others will flow naturally.

My grandmother, who died 3 years ago, would have been 95 this week. It's she who I think about when I think of unconditional love. She was there for me, flying in to New Zealand when I was born, and all through my life. Her consistent love, devotion, attention, and care showed me what safety feels like. Losing her - though expected - shattered me, and I've been trying to recover ever since. The loss of that love she provided me is monumental. She radiated love. She never betrayed me, never turned me down, was always there for me. Always. She never got any recognition for any of this, except my love, respect, and devotion in return. I was more than happy to do the only thing she ever really asked of me, when the time came - help her live her final years and then die in her home.

I'm still loyal to her, and the promises I made her, to this day. I can't see any reason why I wouldn't always be. She showed me love, and I'll never forget the lessons she taught, both by word and by action.

Loving someone unconditionally means loving them as though they are you.

How many people do you love that way?

Some special people seem to be able to love the whole world that way. Others, maybe just a couple people, typically close family members. Some people may only love themselves... or perhaps, not even that.

Love does something for the lover, not just the loved. There doesn't seem to be any way to exhaust our stores of it - we can love several or even dozens of children, for example. Love isn't like a pie that has to be divided up, and eventually runs out. Love is like thought - as long as we're alive, we can love. And the more we do, the more benefits we receive!

It's a bit like gratitude. When we feel thankful for something, genuinely, it warms our hearts. It boosts us. It's a positive thing. Gratitude can be a source of happiness. Those who practice it often, and become good at genuinely being thankful for even the small things in life, usually end up filled with happiness and joy. We have this amazing tool of gratitude available to us, and plenty of things to be thankful for, and yet we often give it out grudgingly. We feel that to be thankful to someone else makes us somehow lesser. It doesn't. Gratitude is natural, appropriate, real, and important. If we fill ourselves with genuine happiness for everything in our lives, we win. Try it next time an opportunity to feel gratitude for something comes up.

I noticed that little heart shape in a photo of a cannabis plant I'm growing as medicine for my sweetheart, @MediKatie.

Love for others (all others) permeates everything I do. I'm vibrating with it. Love conquers fear.

My mission is to banish fear and spread love.

I love you. Not just on Valentine's Day, but always. No matter who you are. You're reading this, so you're a person, and you're capable of being loved, so I love you. Doesn't matter how you feel in return, I love you anyway.

In loving you, I see your positives and forgive your flaws. I know you're doing the best you can. I know you deserve common decency and liberty, and I would never harm you on purpose. I have your best interests at heart - I want the best for you. I want you to be safe, happy, healthy, and loved. I want you to be free, and to achieve your dreams.

Loving doesn't mean accepting abuse. I'll never accept your abuse, but I'll always love you. (Typing that reminds me of my love for my alcoholic brother.)

So no matter who you are, there's at least one person out there that's loving you. I'm pretty sure it's a lot more than that.

You don't need to do anything to receive it - it's automatic and instant. If you don't feel any different, that's okay, I do. Thanks for being there, so I can love you.

You can fill your life with love, and make yourself about it. You'll be hated for it, you'll be misunderstood, you'll be called a hippie (or something offensive). But as long as you're alive, you can love, and nobody can stop you.

Love is a superpower we all have, can use at any time, costs nothing, and changes lives. Don't forget how powerful you are. Let love in. Know yourself, accept yourself, love yourself. It's a lifelong journey and every step is beautiful. Begin now.

In love,
DRutter