Valentine's Day

(image courtesy of Wreck on Her)

Whoever saw this coming from a mile away, please raise your hand (Okay, okay, I see you all).

So, anyway... Valentine's Day, eh? You know the drill. If you have a significant other you make plans for dinner and buy each other gifts of all sorts and the guy buys the girl flowers, blah blah blah. If you're single, you whine and moan all day about how dumb of a holiday it is, but that you're really okay with being single (admit it. you're miserable (seriously, you wouldn't be mentioning it otherwise)). Or, you can be like me and, using your experiences of good and bad Valentine's Days, just exploit the day for the sake of a blog entry!

80% of the people who hate Valentine's Day are single (or something around there). It's a correlation that simply can't be ignored. It's almost a matter of fact that if you're single, you hate Valentine's Day, because all this day does is slap you in the face and make you even more aware of what you don't have (think St. Patrick's Day without having access to beer (or if you're a recovering alcoholic)). The days leading up to it, you become acutely aware of every hand-holding couple walking down the sidewalk. You're jealous of them for what they have and what you don't, so Valentine's Day becomes a manifestation of everything that you want but don't have. Admit it, if you were magically together with the person you liked, you would be all over Valentine's Day and doing everything you possibly can to make it the best day possible for whoever your crush is.

Of course, not all people who hate Valentine's Day are single. I recently just spoke to a good friend of mine who has a boyfriend and was complaining about this day existing. In her case, she condemned this holiday because it commercializes love. It's something that shouldn't have to have a day for. You should pay attention to your significant other without having a day to force you to do so. Also, the events leading up to/the day itself can be stressful. It's a whole ordeal trying to figure out what you're significant other's expectations are, what they would even like, trying to make dinner reservations, eating in an overcrowded restaurant for mediocre cuisine, overcrowded shopping places, traffic, spending more money than you actually have, etc etc.

However, even though I'm currently single, I'm still throwing my support completely behind Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day reminds us all of what's most important in life: love. I'm not just talking about the love that you share with your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse- whatever, but with your family and your friends. To quote a certain Morrie from Tuesday's With Morrie, "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." Or, to quote a certain Dumbeldore, "Love wins. Love always wins."

Even if you're single, you can still have a lovely Valentine's day. I called my parents and grandparents to wish them a happy Valentine's day and we had lovely conversations (plus I got into a whole debate with my mom about digital vs film photography. don't even get me started...), and they really appreciated that I called them and was thinking of them today.

Sure, you may not have a significant other, but that's just one person. There's plenty of other people who you love and appreciate, and I see Valentine's Day as a reminder to cherish all that we actually do have instead of what we currently lack. Or, rather, Valentine's Day is a reminder of how everyone should act every day. And who knows? Maybe seeing all of these people together on V-Day is the kick in the ass someone needs to finally make a move and try to get a girlfriend. And if that doesn't happen, BIG DEAL, it's not the end of the world.

So don't hate on Valentine's day, because doing so defeats the purpose of the day itself. Be positive, and look at all that you do have and quit being so down on yourself. There's always someone out there who does love you. Let it in and give it out.

FINAL VERDICT: JUSTIFIABLE