As you celebrate LOVE today...

There was a time during my undergraduate days, when I had just one pair of sandals,

That sandal was my all-in-all,

I wore it to lectures,

I wore it to church,

I wore it to every outing I had to attend,

In fact, anytime I wasn't home,

Then that sandal was definitely wherever I was,

Fortunately for me, the sandal was quite rugged,

It also matched the different outfits I wore, perfectly,

You see,

That pair of sandals was the apple of my eyes,

I cared for this sandal as any responsible man would cared for his new wife,

I loved and cherished this sandal as any honorable mother would love her first child,

This sandal was never out of my sight,

It was my trusted and reliable companion,

I always polished it, and brought it into my room whenever I returned home,

You'd never see it with my bathroom slippers outside my room,

I never let anyone borrow it, not even my roommate,

I knew that if it got damaged or stolen, there would be no other option for me,

One day, my roommate was going out,

He saw this my 'beloved' sandal outside, and asked if he could borrow it,

I told him to go ahead, that we were roommates after all, and that he didn't need my permission to use my footwear,

He laughed out loud, throwing his head back and holding his sides,

When I asked his reason, he reminded me of the the times I refused to let him wear my sandals,

He also recalled one incident where I had even rebuked him for taking my sandals outside because he was cleaning our room,

He asked me what had changed,

In his words,

"...like say you don buy new sandals..."

I joined in his laughter, and told him he could leave the sandals if he didn't need it,

He left with the sandals, but not before throwing some extra jabs at me,

It was after he left, that I considered what he had said,

Indeed, I had gotten another pair of sandals, as well as a new pair of shoes,

But,

What I had done to my 'beloved' pair of sandals had been unintentional,

It was then that I realized that I had become a bit careless in my treatment of my trusted and reliable companion,

***

I might not be a professional in matters of the heart,

The truth is, many of you treat your partners the same way I treated my sandals, (probably worse),

After all, you've got other options you can resort to when things get ugly,

But, you will have (and continue to have) problems in your "relationship", if you continue this way,

When you can't set your heart on one person,

You will fight more often,

You will keep finding useless reasons to quarrel,

You will find it easier to not forgive their faults,

You will find it harder to appreciate their strengths,

You will always find opportunities to highlight (and emphasize) their weaknesses,

You will find it difficult to treat them with the respect they deserve,

You will find it impossible to remain committed to them,

Why?

You have a backup plan (or plans),

It's Valentine's day,

You have probably sent a well-crafted message (and maybe a gift or two) to that 'special' person,

The same you, have also sent similar messages to the other 'upcoming special' people in your life, (messages you would do anything to make sure no one else sees)

And still the same you, are wondering why your 'relationship' isn't working,

You might feel that you are protecting your interests, or creating a safe landing for yourself if things go south,

But you are not being wise,

Am I asking you to put all your eggs in one basket?

Hell YES!, and to quit that 'relationship' if you can't trust your partner (or yourself) to remain committed,

All this 'sidechick', 'sideguy', 'bestie', 'childhood friend', 'prayer-partner', and other spare tyres you are driving around with,

-Whom you struggle to invest time and emotions to keep 'warm' and 'interested' in you,

-While at the same time, making it look like that there's nothing serious between you two,

Will sap you of the effort and commitment you need to make your relationship work,

Am I asking you to put all your eggs in one basket?

YES!

I'm also asking you to walk away from that relationship if you have any reason to doubt your partner (or yourself)

***

I'm asking you to come out clean, TODAY!

Remember, LOVE is true,

Do your partner(s) a favour today, and come out clean,

You will also be doing yourself a huge favour, boosting your mental health and confidence, and improving the quality of your life,

Love without deceit,

Come out clean!

#LifeNuggets #love #valentine

Come clean, everyone!