Scribble #16: Iris (Hold Me Close)

“Something in your eyes took a thousand years to get here…”

Generally speaking, Valentine’s Day for me is an annoying reminder of “being alone.” Although the official ​​Singles Awareness Day is on February 15, a day after Valentine’s Day, February 14th seems like the day that makes me most aware of being single. Relating to this, I had a conversation with a close friend recently about the concept of “being alone” and the importance of focusing on the ways that we aren’t alone instead of the ways that we are.

“You, I’m sure I’ve met long before…”

This year, I’m fortunate and grateful to be able to say my Valentine’s Day was full of love. Some examples of this love are being handed a flower by a stranger in the Diag and being told it was a random act of kindness, receiving a box of chocolates in the mail from my mom, and coming back from my classes to a bouquet of flowers and heartfelt card in front of my door, courtesy of the friend who I had the conversation about “being alone” with.

“The darkness just lets us see who we are…”

Without knowing what feeling lonely is like, I might forget to appreciate all of the people who remind me I am not alone. I’m lucky to have been reminded of this so many times on Valentine’s Day, but not being alone comes in more forms than being given gifts. Not being alone – love – means feeling like I can talk to my friends and trust that they’re looking out for me. It means the selfless acts we do for each other every day that go unnoticed yet are alwaysreciprocated. This Valentine’s Day, I was beautifully reminded that I have the privilege of being able to recognize that, for me, “being alone” is a mindset. The second I decide that I am not alone, I suddenly see the countless ways that I am loved.

“Free yourself to be yourself.”

Listen to Iris (Hold Me Close) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GAbVK8pZmU