So without any struggle at all I chose my theme word for 2019. Or rather, it chose me. He/She/They just sauntered up to me one morning and said Let me love you.

And I will say the word and you will hear the word and your mind will automatically jump to a pre-programmed image associated with this word. But I don’t mean that.

It’s not about me cultivating this theme with another person. Not a spouse. Not a lover. Not anyone else plus me or via my efforts. Just me. Which won’t make sense because this word is generally associated with couples and coupling.

Not anymore. I shall be radically, ruthlessly, rebelliously indulgent in the singular, breaking the prerequisite of this word’s relativity.

And this word is simply the name of the practice. Let me love you will be the activation, the opening prayer, the code words to conjure and invoke. Not that this is by any means complicated.

For example, yesterday I went to put on a little makeup and it wouldn’t work. The skin on my face was so dry it looked like pink suede. It felt like suede too. And I don’t treat it with chemicals anymore, only plants. So I reached for a scratchy cloth for a gentle scrub to buff away the suede and then anointed Her/Me with oil. Let me love you. Let me cherish you. Let me care for you. As if I was my skin’s attentive lover. Because I am.

And this is just one example, an easy one to illustrated my point. I couldn’t wouldn’t wait for 2019 to begin so I allowed myself a head start. I began right away. I mean, who responds to Let me love you with, Okay, but let’s wait a couple of weeks. I’ll let you love me in, let’s say, ten days. 

No. Now. And Now would be a fantastic Word of the Year but that’s not it. It is Romance. Both the noun and the verb. And independent of the traditional stipulation that another person must be involved. Nope, not necessary. I will DIY this as I do most things.

(My first instinct was to write I will DIY this fucker, or DIY this shit, because that sounds brazen and badass. But I’m trying to be romantic, so …) (Let me love you but with profanity?  *chuckle*  I’ll work on it.)

And I’ll share. Try this if you like. I won’t be jealous at all. Consider romancing You. A little or a lot. We could all use a little lovin’, am I right? We could all use a lot. Romance yourself. Treat yourself like a lover. Crush on you. Use my word. Steal it, borrow it, adopt it, embrace it, however you roll, but if this makes sense to you and feels right, join me. Start now. By the time Valentine’s Day gets here we will already be so far evolved romantically we will be too well and loved and treasured and pampered to care about all the usual flim-flam.

Just a suggestion. I’m going to do it either way. Both ways. All the ways.

— Mercy