Love, Sex and Rock n’ Roll: Happy Valentine’s Day.

We’re not usually big celebrators of Valentine’s Day in our house. For several years when Larry and I were dating, I was often performing in a production of The Vagina Monologues. Since getting married, our anniversary (five years this year, folks!) falls at the end of January and usually steals the romantic spotlight first thing each year.

We decided that it was time to formalize our Valentines’ observance, so we settled on the possible exchange of cards and the definite exchange of chocolates. And by exchange, I mean one of us is responsible to buy a box of these local confections of awesomesauce deliciousness for us to share. (The fact that we live within 5 minutes of the Harbor Sweets Factory is a dangerous, dangerous thing.)

I believe due to sheer scheduling, I will be picking them up this year.

LOVE

I’ve fallen in love exactly three times in my life:

One love wasn’t meant to be.

One love has spent half his life with me.

And one is waiting to be born.

SEX

Man, I wish I could be having that for Valentine’s Day. Usually that’s kind of a given every February 14th, unless Mother Nature had other plans. But sadly, I’m on pelvic rest*, with an official “no jostling of the pelvis” restriction from my doctor. And sex (well, at least the way I like it) typically involves lots of pelvis-jostling.

(*The Knish is fine. It’s a precautionary thing because of some marginal placenta previa they’re hoping will resolve on its own. I have a follow-up ultrasound in 6 weeks. Nobody’s really worried.)

The are-you-kidding-me part of this? I’ve been on pelvic rest for 5 weeks already and I’ve got 6 more weeks to go. This is officially the longest dry spell of my entire sexual LIFE. I am a big fan of sex and while I still have plenty of options on the table, it’s just not the same. TRUST ME.

If I seem a bit tense, well – there’s your answer.

And if Valentine’s Day and infertility has got you in a bind about sex, here’s what I had to say on the matter this time last year.

ROCK N’ ROLL

As I mentioned earlier, I typically performed on Valentine’s Day in a production of The Vagina Monologues. To this day, I credit my participation in several of those monologues with my evolving and empowered feminist identity. I also think a lot of the empowerment that I learned from my Vagina Monologue experience contributed to the ways in which I’ve been able to handle my own infertility over the years. Empowerment pretty much has that kind of domino effect, no matter how or through what struggle you became empowered: empowerment fuels empowered living.

The Vagina Monologues are part of the V-Day Movement. It coincides with Valentine’s Day here in the US every year and its mission is simple: V-Day exists until the violence stops.

This year, the focus of V-Day is centered One Billion Rising. From V-Day:

One in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. One billion women violated is an atrocity. One billion women dancing is a revolution.

There are hundreds of One Billion Rising events happening around the globe today. Click the graphic above to search for one near you. And if you can’t strike or dance at a live event, rise at your blogs, on your Facebook pages, your Twitter streams and wherever you can online. You can even watch a livestream of One Billion Rising events live across the globe all day today here.

I may have doctor’s orders not to shimmy or shake today, but I can certain inspire others to strike, dance and rise up against violence against women. Strike, dance and rise today for your sisters around the globe. Strike, dance and rise today for yourself.

And while I’m not necessarily able to dance today, I strike, dance and rise here on this blog for my son, and for the world I’m helping to shape for him.