A rare public post! Or; my personal thoughts on Valentines Day
It would be real easy for me to join with so many others who would declare their loathing of all things remotely concerning Valentines day. This time last year I was acutally in a relationship and feeling rather good about the state of my love life, only to have it all come apart before years end. So I can sympathize. But I'm not going to do that. The truth is I like Valentines day. But that's not to say I don't find it to be rather flawed...
Maybe it's just the hopeless romantic in me, but why the hell do we need one day on the calendar to express our feelings of love and happiness towards our significant others? On those rare occasions when I was lucky enough to be with someone, I know that I didn't save all my romantic expressions for February 14th only. I made it a point to say it every day. It wasn't always in the most dignified or eloquent of ways, but I always said it. I just find it odd that so much romantic importance is placed on a single date on the calendar. Maybe it's just me...
For those of us not in a relationship, Valentines day is a particularly fun dose of emotional torture. Its not that romantic displays sicken the single people; quite the opposite in fact. You want to know what it is? I'll tell you...
We're jealous.
That's the secret. We single people are insanely jealous. Why? Because we see in every relationship someone else who seems to have it all together. Someone else who'se finally found what they were looking for. And for those of us that don't have that, its an unintentional kick in the guts. Us singletons want that. Desperately. I personally look around at my friends. The vast majority of them are married now, with families of their own. They're happy. They are with -and in some cases surrounded by- people that love them. For someone like me, for whom that sensation is sorely lacking, we can be surrounded by people on a day like today, and still feel totally alone. And when it seems that everywhere you look is yet another happy couple, that feeling is amplified to an almost unbearable level. Forget pain, loneliness is the most horrible sensation that there is.
So what is a single person to do on Valentines day? Grit your teeth and muddle through I suppose. But that doesn't mean that you should go hating Valentines Day. Instead, you should take some small dose of pleasure in the smiles on other peoples faces today. Keep on clinging to that glimmer of hope that somewhere out there is the happiness that eludes you. Sometimes, hope is all you have and all that you need.
Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to go earn a living...
Oh, and BTW...
Happy Valentine's Day.