Valentine’s Day—a day for lovers 💑, a day for relationships 💕, a day that invites us to reflect on love in all its forms. Today, as I spoke with my patients, I found myself asking them:
What do you truly want today? 🎁
Are you willing to ask for what you desire most from your partner? 💌
Do you even know what you want? 🤔
What brings you pleasure? 😌
What does love look like to you? 🥰
What does it feel like? Smell like? 💖🌹
For many, these were novel questions. Their needs and desires were often simple—a hug 🤗, a kiss 💋, an embrace. And yet, so many had not voiced these needs. They assumed their partners should just know. But I reminded them: love is not about mind-reading. Love grows when we express our wants, when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, when we share our simple needs. ❤️
Especially in times of challenge—like those many of my patients face with fertility treatments—openness, honesty, and vulnerability become even more vital. Speaking our truths strengthens relationships. Yet, so often, we expect intimacy to just happen, like a garden 🌱 that flourishes without tending. But love, like nature, requires care. If we do not plant the seeds, if we do not pull the weeds, distance grows. Resentment takes root. And soon, one of us is left doing all the work while the other has checked out. 😞
I am guilty of this.
The Daily Creation of Reality 🌍
Every day, we create our reality. We see life through our own lens 👓, shaped by our history, our beliefs, our perspectives. Today was no different. It was a day filled with the highs and lows of life—patients receiving exciting news 🎉, others facing heartbreaking outcomes 💔. A day where I asked myself yet again:
Am I up for this? 🤯
Can I hold space for my patients? 🤗
Do I have the patience—for them, for myself? 🧘♀️
Could I have done something differently to prevent a bad outcome? 🤷♀️
I have spent years holding myself to impossibly high standards, questioning whether I could have changed someone’s suffering. But I have also learned to embrace grace. To accept that life is not a competition but a collaboration. To trust that while I may not always be the best or the brightest, I always care. I always try my best. And that is enough. 💖
The Power of Holding Space 🙌
If there is one thing I have learned, it is this: I can hold space. I can model grace, gratitude, and acceptance—of myself, of others, of life’s circumstances. I can remind people they are perfectly imperfect. But I cannot make them believe it. I cannot force anyone to see life as happening for them rather than to them.
I can challenge them to shift their perspective. To let go of anxiety. To trust. But in the end, each of us must arrive at this understanding in our own time. It has taken me decades to lean fully into trust. Decades to come home to myself. To remember I am a light being having a human experience. To embrace that I am here to play at life. To dance 💃. To laugh 😂. To cry 😢. To connect 🤝. To love. ❤️
Living in Love and Gratitude 🌸
On this Valentine’s Day, I began my day in the dark, embracing the sunrise 🌅. I spent my hours holding space for my patients, grieving with them, celebrating with them. And at the end of it all, I danced with myself 💃, savoring dark chocolate 🍫 with a bit of peanut butter 🥜 after a glass of red wine 🍷. I walked through my neighborhood in the cool night air, inhaling the scent of household fires, hoping it was warmth and not another LA firestorm. 🔥
And I felt gratitude. 🙏
Gratitude for my life. For my relationships. For the love I have known. For the lessons I have learned. For the ability to express my heart through these words. For the simple pleasures—the breath in my lungs, the smile on my lips, the music lifting my spirit. 🎶💞
Because at the end of it all, the greatest love is self-acceptance. 💕
And life—life is grand, isn’t it? 😍✨
A Call to Action 💬
As you reflect on love today, I invite you to take a moment to ask yourself:
What do I truly want and need in love? 💗
Have I expressed it to those who matter most? 🗣️
How can I cultivate deeper connections in my life? 🌱
Take a step today—whether it’s writing a love note, giving a heartfelt hug, or simply being present with yourself. Love is an action, a choice, a practice. Let’s nurture it together. 💞
