Getting it out

status check - Beyond bored
background ambiance - Averi, "For Better or Worse"

I suppose the timing works out about right. A week before Valentine's Day and everyone starts talking about it. Which means I start to come up with creative ways of ignoring it (the mature version of covering my ears and singing "LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU LALALA").

But I'm reminded every year that there's no way of hiding from the hearts and the candy and the diamond commercials and Hallmark cards. I might as well accept that it's coming and deal with it.

So I'm getting all my V Day tirades out in the open a little early this year. Perhaps it'll be cathartic. Let's see.

I don't believe in Valentine's Day, but not because of the typical reasons people give for hating it.

Yes, it's materialistic and has morphed into a celebration of the exploitation and flaunting of love. Yes, it's something seemingly designed to make people in love feel special and fine-and-even-happy-with-being-single people wish they weren't alone. Yes, it's impossible to find anything to do to keep your mind OFF of Valentine's Day on February 14.

I just happen to believe that, were I to have a so-called Valentine, I wouldn't want him to partake in all hoopla on February 14. It's overrated. It's easy. It's expected. I wouldn't care if it was a day in December or a day in July - he could pick a random day on the calendar, not warn me ahead of time and then do something special. Because he wants to, not because he feels he has to.

Those who say they're not a fan of Valentine's Day often receive a pitious gaze from the believers. You just don't get it, they say.

Well, I don't and I'm proud of that. I don't get the whole fuss. I don't need to circle February 14 in order to be a romantic. I don't need more chocolates when I'm still on a sugar buzz from the Christmas holiday. I don't need a reason to wear red - I wear it all the time.

I've never had a particularly memorable Valentine's Day. Guess what? I survived! I'm fine with it! And if you need to be given a particular day of the calendar year so you can remind to tell your loved one how much you care, you've got bigger problems than the cynic label you're attaching to me.

That said, I hope everyone who does go out and celebrate (or stays in and celebrates, as the case may be) has a lovely time. Jason Mraz wrote about Valentine's Day last year and I remember loving what he said. Snippets are included here (as his journal entries are, like much great writing, often composed of various themes weaving together in the end...)

St. Valentine is honored for continuing to marry lovers without the approval of the church. He was busted and beheaded on the 14th of February. ...
I like to think of this calendar event occurring because of birds. Birds choose their mates in Mid-February. We look up to birds. We envy them. So, we eat candy in hopes of getting some kind of a lift. ...
Happy Beheading to you and yours, may you be successful in finding your bird..."