All the Single Ladies...

Valentine's Day came and went.  For those of you who are single, it can be somewhat of a challenging holiday to see all of your friends and family celebrate with their loved ones.  In past years, I have spent the holiday with friends, which tends to make it more about celebrating the friendship rather than feeling bad about ourselves.

One Valentine's Day, I took myself to see Avatar; I'm very glad I did since the movie was spectacular.  It was the first time I had gone to the movies by myself; I didn't make it a big deal, so it didn't feel like a big deal. 

I know people who celebrate the holiday by having a singles party or by having an anti-Valentine's Day party.  I'll be honest and say I'd like to attend one of those!  I'm curious about what goes on at these parties...

If you're single, how did you spend your Valentine's Day?  Does the holiday bring you closer to your single friends or is it just another day?  On the flip side, if you're in a relationship, have you ever spent the holiday with friends?

Check It Out!

Check out Dr. Irene Levine's book review!

Surviving Female Friendships: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Review

Dr. Levine is the author of Best Friends Forever: Getting Over A Break-Up With Your Best Friend.

Thanks, Dr. Levine!

Forgiveness and Friendship

How do you feel about this topic in terms of friendship?  I often think about past friendships and wonder how forgiveness (or a lack thereof) impacted them.  Are you the type of person who is easy to forgive or do you hold on to past conflict/situations/interactions?

As I continue on this journey of examining female friendship, I'm trying (really, really trying) to be more forgiving of my friends, and at the same time, be aware of my expectations of them.  When conflict happens or there is a hiccup in the friendship, I now take a step back and look at what happened with a different perspective - one less emotion-driven and more accepting.  It's challenging but as I attempt to be more open in my forgiveness, I find I don't become upset as easily, which then allows the friendship to blossom in a more positive manner.

At the same time, if a friend hurts me or something happens that is too painful, I think it would be reasonable to take some time and decide whether the friendship is worth continuing - especially if I have already tried addressing the issue with no success.  It depends on the friendship, how long the friendship has lasted, and if there seems to be a dysfunctional pattern in the friendship.  You can forgive someone, but as we all know, you never forget.

All in all, forgiveness is tough.  Do you agree?  What's your stance on and experience with this topic?

Question of the Week

If you could be friends with any celebrity (dead or alive) for a day - who would it be and why?

For me, it would be a tie between Beyoncé and Zoey Deschanel.  I find both women fascinating - Beyoncé because she is a talented mega-star and Zoey because I think she's adork-able. 

So Beyoncé and Zoey, how does coffee sound this Wednesday?!

Who would you choose?