Love yo'self

You Got To Love Yo'Self

Ok…it’s not really that bad, but it can be that hilarious. Being single, that is. I once dated a guy named Captain Douche Bag. That might not have been his real name but I can tell you that his favorite song was ‘I’m Sexy and I Know It’. Fact. Our first date was all blue skies and butterflies. Smooth, fun, relaxed... No need for details, we’ve all had the perfect first date. He must have really thought I was a catch because our second ‘date’ was at a local nightclub where I fought off a million other girls who he claimed he’d never met before. Looking at this guy, it was no surprise he was a heartbreaker. Unbelievably gorgeous, insanely cocky (he was sexy, and he knew it), and fun? I thought to myself, ‘This is a recipe for a grade A asshole…SIGN ME UP!’ In spite of being viciously shoved by random girls as I ‘Dougied’, I stuck around. After our exciting evening at The Roxy, the Captain wanted nothing to do with me. EXCUSE ME? Hold on. Let me introduce myself again,’ I…am Grace Salinas, the coolest, most laid-back chick you’ll ever meet. I love everybody, I am the life of the party, and I’m hilarious.’ Nope. Not taking the bait. The Captain’s ship had sailed. He was onto the next one while I was burning candles and listening to LMFAO tracks in solitude. *cue the tiny violin* Why is it that in those moments of dejection we forget about everything we wanted in the first place? Needs, values, dignity---who needs ‘em? I would rather expend my energy trying to prove myself to someone who is completely wrong for me. You hear about people saying, ‘Know yourself, love yourself.’, but it can be hard to do, especially when you’re in denial. Note the silly sentence where I bragged about how cool I was. Please. If I was really that cool, I wouldn’t have had to say it and now *trumpets* I’m finally at a point where I don’t. Thank you, Captain Douche Bag, for serving me the piece of humble pie for which I’d been so ravenous. In truth, I was hiding behind that ‘cool’ façade because I was afraid the real me might get rejected. He might have been Captain Douche Bag, but I was his first mate. The whole thing helped me get to know myself on a whole other level and now I feel free. Truly free. If you think that a lesson on ‘learning to love yourself’ sounds cliché, then you’ve got some work to do because I used to say the same thing. Truly love yourself and know that everyone else is on trial until they’ve proven themselves worthy to share in that exact same love. And never EVER stop making shadow puppets. ~bohoG