Welcome to Issue #19 of The Naked Roommate Newsletter: Valentine's Day. HAPPY Valentine's Day!!! If you’re not happy, what the hell is wrong with you? Get it together man (or woman). There’s a lot to be happy about. You can be happy with the thousands of potential partners out there for you (if you’re single). You can be happy that you have people in your life who love you (friends, family, roommates, etc). You can be happy that there are absolutely no restrictions on the ways you can spoil yourself this Valentine’s Day.

I know I’ve spent weeks talking about taking THE RISK and finding love, but ultimately, it all starts with taking care of you. It’s like putting your oxygen mask on in the unlikely case that the cabin loses pressure while in flight (sorry, I’ve been flying a lot). Unless you are able to function on your own, you'll be of no use to anyone else around you. The way to enjoy Valentine's is to take care of yourself first, and then spoil everyone else. So, take care of yourself and trust that everything else you hope and desire will take care of itself. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

NEXT WEEK’s TOPIC: Weight and Body Image - What do you wish you could have told yourself when you started college regarding body image, weight, and eating disorders? Share ALL the details!Sending stories means that you grant Harlan permission to use your stories in The Naked Roommate Newsletter, online, in books, and anywhere else Harlan's writing appears.

THE STORY:
The nicest/kindest thing I've done for myself? Last summer I got myself a pet. I got a parrot from a friend of the family. He's this tiny little parrot that acts as an alarm clock and a distraction when I'm supposed to be writing a final paper. Despite the fact that he gets excessively loud I love him anyway because he's always happy to see me, even if I forgot to leave the radio on for him while I'm gone.

In the spirit of taking care of yourself, I wanted to share this Valentine’s story with you. It was originally printed in Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul III. It’s by me and it’s a true story. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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LOVING YOURSELF FIRST

In high school, the student council had a fund-raiser where we could buy a flower for someone special and have it delivered to him or her on Valentine's Day morning in their first-period class.

That year, I sent out three carnations to three unsuspecting girls. I figured there might be a chance to attract at least one of them. Besides, if any one of them had sent me a flower and I didn't send them one in return, it would be over before it began. A carnation went out to Melanie, Susie, and Jenny (Jenny was a long shot).

The whole week, I anticipated who might send me some carnations. My friend Brian sent one to his girlfriend, Stephanie sent one to Jason - she had a crush on him all semester. Lisa sent one to her good friend Tracy just for fun. The entire week a list of girls ran through my mind. I wondered who would be the one to try and win me over. I had two potentials on my mind, but I was more than ready to be completely surprised by any random girl.

Finally, the morning of February 14 arrived. After thirty minutes of math class, I spotted the student council delivery person outside the classroom in the hallway. She entered the room carrying a massive bouquet of flowers for distribution in Mr. Aaron's math class. Mr. Aaron reluctantly stopped class and organized the flowers. As he shuffled through the thick stack of cards, the room filled with anticipation.

At long last, Mr. Aaron finally had our undivided attention. He asked for a helper and started handing out the flowers. He announced the names on the card as he delivered the goods. "Neil, Brian, Jennifer, Scott, Chad, Anne, Amy ..." The list went on for a good ten minutes. Flowers began sprouting up on desks all around me.

Some guys were already on their second and third flowers. One guy even scored a good half-dozen. Even though it was public knowledge he had a girlfriend, the reality was that he had six times as many flowers as me.

Mr. Aaron read out the last couple of names, "Two more for Neil, and, oh good, one for Harlan," Yes! There was one for me! Total relief.

I had a pretty good idea of who had sent it to me. I looked down at the card and it confirmed exactly what I expected. It wasn't from Melanie, it wasn't from Susie, and it definitely wasn't from Jenny.

The card read:
Happy Valentine's Day
Love, Harlan

My friends asked me who had sent it. I told them it was someone special, and left it at that. They never knew. They didn't need to know.

Dear Harlan,

There's a beautiful, charming, intelligent girl that I have a fantabulous crush on and I also know she has a certain fondness for me too. The problem is that I don't have a car, much money or enough time to take her out and wine her and dine her the way she deserves to be treated. I'm not just looking for a quick fling; we could easily wind up getting married!

Should I court this wonderful girl or wait until I can give her the things she deserves, but risk letting her slip through my fingers?