The entire world looks like Love-A-Lot Bear from the Care Bears got wasted and threw up red hearts all over everything. It must be Valentine’s Day.
This past weekend, I saw a man selling cheesy Valentine’s Day gifts on the side of the road, in front of a gas station. The first thing that came to my mind was, “I wonder how much money that guy will actually make?”
I don’t know about you ladies out there, but I would not want a gift purchased in front of a gas station; especially one with a big cheesy stuffed animal and chocolate inside of it. But, you know, some guy, somewhere, is going to think that is the best gift ever; and some poor girl is going to have to fake her way through accepting it. And really, she’ll be so impressed/excited that she got anything at all, that his ego will double in size and he will go on thinking that he is the best boyfriend/husband ever.
But really, cheesy gifts aside… what is Valentine’s Day really supposed to be about?
I don’t have a boyfriend (shocking I know), but that doesn’t mean I hate the holiday like some poor girls. They seem to think that Valentine’s Day just reminds them of how alone they are. As if love is only for people in relationships. Well, to that, I say “Get over it!”
I have spent past Valentine’s Days with family, boyfriends, and not-quite-boyfriends, and out of all my past VDay experiences, I can really only recall one; and it was the one I spent with a girlfriend of mine five years ago.
I was living in Boston at the time, and she came in town for a visit. I remember it like it was yesterday. There had been a huge snowstorm just a day or two before. It had started to warm up a little which meant that there was at least a foot of disgusting slush at every cross walk. We met up for lunch, and then went shopping because dirty slush water had gotten into (and ruined) her shoes. Afterward, we went to surprise (really, just plain bother) a friend who worked close by with an afternoon coffee.
We went for a little more shopping before deciding to go to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Of course, it was packed with couples and groups of single girlfriends. Every table seemed to be bombarded with flowers and balloons and red hearts galore.
Before we descended upon our shared dessert, she gave me a gift (which I was not expecting at all). It was a beautiful picture frame with the words “School Days” engraved on it. As I was opening it, our friend (from earlier) walked up to join us. She smiled and said, “Do you know what you look like?” I said, “Yeah, like friends having dinner on Valentine’s Day.” Then, she said, “No. THEY look like friends having dinner on Valentine’s Day,” and she pointed to the table next to us. “You two look like more of a couple than any other couple in here!” Clearly, our love for each other was written all over our faces. 
We all laughed and talked and finished our dessert, and had a few drinks before finishing out the night with hugs and kisses goodbye.
And so ended the most memorable Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. It was simple. It was fun. And it was spent with one of my best friends.
I guess, I wrote all that to say, CALM DOWN. It’s just another day. Another day that you show your loved ones how much you care about them. Another day that you celebrate each other.
And really, we should all be doing that everyday, not just once a year.
P.S. If you were wondering, I’m celebrating this Valentine’s Day cooking dinner with a few friends. And I can’t wait!
