Back Issue of The Upside of Being Single eZine
February 2001
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The UPSIDE of BEING SINGLE Issue #004, Feb, 2001 (c)2001 by Selfnurture.com Publisher: Jean Zartner, JeanZartner@Selfnurture.com www.Selfnurture.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For individuals who want to be more loving to self and others. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***************SPECIAL Valentine's Day ISSUE *************************
This is a short issue, for the purpose of helping us all get through Valentine's Day in a more positive way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Need a Valentine's Day laugh?
2. Tips on getting through Valentine's Day gracefully
3. Denver-Area Events (to help you get through Valentines' Day gracefully)
4. The Dentist and the Hairdresser - A Valentine's Dateless Story ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Need a Valentine's Day laugh?
An honest seven-year-old admitted calmly to her parents that Billy Brown kissed her after class. "How did that happen?" gasped her mother. "It wasn't easy," admitted the young lady, "but three girls helped me catch him."
Go to http://pages.tca.net/pszeto/joke29.htm to get a newer, funnier perspective on love and dating by reading these words of wisdom from the mouths of 7- to 10-year-olds.
http://members.nova.org/~dsaum/j-valent.htm - a humorous flight of fancy about an automatic Valentine's Day poem machine.
Go to www.selfnurture.com/humor.htm for general guffaws, chuckles, and ticklements. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Tips on getting through Valentine's Day gracefully
*Get your kids something. Buy an inexpensive bunch of flowers at the grocery store. Bake a cake or heart-shaped muffins for them.
*Send a little something to the grandkids. You can buy the boxed Valentines such as kids buy to trade at school. Then send them off to the grandkids - and maybe some of the neighborhood kiddos.
*Have you tried sending funny Valentine's Day eCards to your friends? That could be good for a laugh - or several!
*The day after Valentine's Day, buy some half-priced Valentines for nieces and nephews. Store them for next year. As the day approaches, you'll have the same kind of pleasant anticipation you have when you're getting ready to send Christmas gifts.
*Make it a day to honor your parents - posthumously if necessary. I used to think it seemed silly to send Valentines to parents. Then I found out they like it!
*Check the singles groups in your area. Sometimes you'll find a Valentine's Day event that is meant for singles - NOT couples.
For example, there's a "Valentine's Not," Happy Hour coming up in Denver (See the next section.) Another singles group I know recently had an excellent presentation on alternatives for Valentine's Day.
*Sign up for dance lessons. (See the next section if you live in the Denver area.) It's a great way to meet people! And even if you don't meet a Valentine for 2002 - what the heck - you'll have so much fun dancing that you won't notice nearly as much!
*Start planning a great vacation! Don Chesshir, Dance Instructor Extraordinaire, of Dallas, sponsors annual trips for singles and dancers. This year, I'll be going along on the Thanksgiving trip to Cozumel. I'll be teaching some dance classes and hope to lead some lively discussions on the upside of being single. Let me know if you want to be notified as details emerge. mailto:jeanzartner@selfnurture.com
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Thanks to Peggy Silcox for the following ideas on sur-thriving V-Day:
I want to share last years' experience with V-day. I dreaded it since it was the first one since the breakup with my boyfriend. I can't remember exactly what I did, but toward evening on that day I found myself stopping at the grocery store for something. There were BUNCHES of men running in and buying flowers, and most of them did not look at all happy. They looked like they were doing a duty, at the last possible moment.
I'd been feeling that "everybody else has somebody who loves them" stuff, but this made me remember that not all couples are happy and many are more unhappy than I was by myself. This year I'll try to think of something loving to do for myself on Valentine's Day.
Another tip: Lately, I have been looking at Valentine's Day as an "Other People's" holiday, just as I would Bastille Day, Cinco de Mayo, or Hanukkah. I don't usually celebrate those either. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Denver-Area Events (to help you get through Valentines' Day gracefully) *** March Dance Lessons www.selfnurture.com/dance-lessons.htm *** Feb. 14, "Valentine's Not," 5 -7:30 FlatIrons Singles (meet on the Second Wednesday each month.) Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant West side of Flatiron Crossing. If you live or work in the area invite your friends & co-workers Happy Hour - Cost is $15 payable at the door. Includes 2 drink tickets. For more information please call Dinner for Six 303-777-0700 and ask for the FlatIrons Singles group Profits benefit the Food Bank of the Rockies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Dentist and the Hairdresser - A Happy Valentine's Dateless Story
Copyright 2001 by Jean Zartner
This true story happened on Valentine's Day, 2000. Over the years, I had developed a Valentine's Day allergy. My aversion, I must admit, resulted in negative self-talk about being dateless. Well, actually, it resulted in entire negative self-conversations.
I got caught by the long arm of the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states: You attract that on which you focus. I'd been focusing on negative feelings - just because I was minus a sweetheart on the day greeting card companies insist you should have one!
So what bad thing did I attract into my life? Well, think of one of the things you most dislike doing.
Right! I got an emergency root canal as a Valentine's Day present.
Before I drove home from the dentist's office, I decided to get a shampoo and style (one of my favorite self-nurturing splurges). I would, at least, be doing something positive, instead of drinking, bingeing, or sulking.
I went to a salon that takes walk-ins. As I waited, I noticed one hairdresser who didn't seem too friendly. I remember thinking, "I hope I don't get him." Well, the universe doesn't hear negative words like "don't" - so, of course, I got him. And was I glad! He turned out to be delightfully funny.
I told him I was feeling sorry for myself, being dateless on Valentine's Day - and having to "celebrate" by having a root canal! He made me feel less alone by pointing out: "You see all these people in here at 7 pm on Valentine's Day? They're obviously not going anywhere tonight - or they wouldn't just now be having their hair done. You see me? I obviously don't have a hot date tonight. His non-romantic perspective on Valentine's Day gifts made me laugh: Flowers are nice, but jewelry appreciates.
I wish I could remember all the things he said to make me laugh. But the important thing is, I did laugh. I left there feeling much better, much less alone, and a bit smarter!
So don't dread Valentine's Day. Find a way to change that negative energy into something positive. Four out of five dentists recommend it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Jean Zartner Selfnurture.com 7077 W. 84th Way, #123 Arvada, CO 80003 USA Phone: 303-940-7423 Fax: 208-330-3810 JeanZartner@Selfnurture.com http://www.Selfnurture.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks so much for staying till THE END of this eZine!
