Valentine’s Day is upon us. Valentine’s Day is celebrated as the day of romantic love in our calendar year.  Sublime feelings and high expectations mark this day.  Diverse media and commercialization remind us to give our love partner romantic cards, flowers, candy, jewelry, and romantic dinners for two.

     Will you be “participating” in Valentine’s Day this year?  Are you “qualified”? To find out, ask yourself the following questions with a YES or NO.

1.  I have someone in my life that I care about very much.        YES    NO

2.  We regularly share the “L-word” with each other.            YES    NO

3.  We are in a committed relationship.                YES    NO

4.  Our love-making is special and consistent.            YES    NO

5.  I will come up with a thoughtful romantic way to surprise

     my Special Person with expressed feelings of love.        YES    NO

6.  We will celebrate Valentine’s Day with physical, emotional,

     and spiritual closeness.                        YES    NO

7.  One month later our relationship will faithfully endure

     with mutual feelings of trust and respect.                YES    NO

Well, how did you do?  If you have no yesses, call Dr. Laura or me immediately!

     If you have only one yes, make sure you read this column regularly to learn how to invigorate a relationship.  Try hard to be real, authentic, a “what you see is what you get” type of person.  This would be a good start in developing openness.

     If you have two to four yesses, then the task is one of moving beyond maintenance to enrich and deepen your relationship.  Start with sharing your thoughts and feelings with your Special Person.  This will help develop trust in the communication process.

     If you have five to six yesses, be grateful and continue nurturing each other.  Explore further intimacy and vulnerability.  Are you holding much back?

    If you have seven yesses, you join the elite minority and are an inspiration to all around you.  Congratulations!

     If this is a year without that Special Person, let your heart reach out lovingly and gratefully to a family member or friend.  You are not alone.  You may have some personal growing to do in order to get yourself in a position to be a romantic partner with someone.  

     If you “qualify”, Happy Valentine’s Day”!  If you don’t, please “qualify” next year. It is a better way to live!

Dr. Stathas  can be reached at 706-473-1780.  E-mail: jstathas13@gmail.com.  Web site: drstathas.googlepages.com.  Blog: drstathas.com