Valentine’s Day sucks! Well, maybe the day doesn’t suck, just the whole concept behind it. The idea that it’s a day for couples to come together and celebrate their love together is nice, but is that what this holiday should be all about?
If you’re part of a couple, that holiday mentality is wonderful. If you’re not it just seems horrible. Speaking from the viewpoint of someone who was single for about 18 Valentine’s Days, I can attest that seeing a bunch of couples together being cute can induce a feeling of loneliness.
So consider this: Why do we continue to have a holiday that makes about half of the population really happy and the other half feel lonely? No other holiday does that.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit difficult to change an internationally recognized holiday, but if you are someone who absolutely hates Valentine’s Day, hear me out.
There are different types of love out there. People mostly associate Valentine’s Day with romantic love or infatuation. For those who don’t have that luxury, spend the day appreciating a different type of love: friendship.
If you want to actually enjoy this day, don’t think about all of the couples out there who are spending this day together. Let them spend it together.
Honestly one of the greatest gifts you can ever be given is the friends you have. The sad thing is, they really aren’t celebrated as much as they should be, aside from birthdays.
Remember when you were a little kid and you had to buy those cheesy valentine cards from the store and make one for everyone in your class? Most places didn’t have class for half of the day so you could shove your face with candy and play games and look at all the different valentine cards you got.
Even if you don’t remember that, I do. That was some of the most fun you ever had because nobody cared about relationships or being lonely. You had your friends/classmates and you just goofed around.
Then you grow up and you start caring about whether someone likes you in a romantic way. Why does that have to happen though?
If I did not have a million things to do on Valentine’s Day, I would probably plan some sort of party just so people could come hang out and have a good time. Sadly, my busy schedule prevents me from doing that, but I will still probably hand out the cheesy valentine cards.
So when Thursday comes around, I encourage you not to worry about all of the couples you see giving each other gifts, going to a fancy dinner or whatever it is they do. Go spend your day with your friends.
Seriously though, these are the people who like all of your posts on Facebook and listen to your problems even if they’re silly. Show them how much you appreciate them.
If you are a part of a couple, even if you have a grand plan of how you’re going to spend the day with your significant other, you should also let your friends know how much you appreciate them. Even if it’s just to say that you’re glad to have them around.
We all know how much it sucks to feel single on Valentine’s Day, so try to have some sympathy.
