happy valentine's day to each of you...

ah, yes, v day. anticipated, hyped-up, depressing, annoying--it can be so many different things to so many different people. me? i think it can be cute--a chance to see how people shower affection on their significant others that always brings an "awww..." from witnesses to said displays--but i've never been one of those people who is all about the holiday, whether all about loving it or all about hating it. i remember being younger and feeling as if i should be so incredibly excited to fill out valentines and give them to all of my classmates because then i'd be getting valentines back, but, save a few special valentines for crushes, it was always a sort of rote process of signing my name and figuring out creative ways of personalizing each one. plus i never enjoyed the feeling of wanting/not wanting to count the number i received and wonder how my total compared to others in the class (when you're younger, all of those holiday things come down to a popularity contest, don't they?). as i grew older, i never found myself involved with someone when the 14th rolled around, so i'd jokingly wear black in "protest" of the "horrificially commercialized manner in which hallmark conspires to make people 'in love' feel superior while those who are single have their noses rubbed in it." but i never fully believed it--while i always wore black, i also found a way to wear red.

i don't know, i guess it comes down to the fact that as far as valentine's day is concerned, i think it's nice that there is a day for it--because there are people out there, sadly enough, who need a specific day to serve as a reminder that they should tell people they love how much they care--and i do, in some respects, feel it's way too commercialized. and i understand that it's frustrating for some because it's a reminder that they are Alone (i use the capital letter because there's being alone, which can be good and liberating, but then there's Alone, which can be depressing and frightening) and i think all of us, regardless of how okay we are with not being involved with someone romantically, feels a twinge of envy when someone describes a romantic valentine's display of affection or gets flowers delivered to the office--but really? it's just a day. a chance to wear red. or black. or red and black or whatever color you want and pass around chocolates to friends and coworkers while acknowledging that whether it's a boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, family member or friend, there's someone out there who loves you and is thinking of you. as far as the roses and presents and dinners and other showy displays of affection, i say pick a random day to surprise your loved one with it. personally, it would mean more to me to have a boyfriend tell me on a random friday that he loves me and wants to treat me to a night of romance than if he did it specifically on the 14th of february. because then it's not because there's an obligation or pressure to do so on a particular day, if that makes sense.

it's a cute day and it's a fun day. but it's really just that--a day. so have a great day--make sure to eat a chocolate-covered cherry!