The Indifferent Valentine
I’ve always felt weird about Valentine’s Day.
I was never the overly bitter person who would curse all the couples around me for being in love. Nor did I yearn for the day someone would buy me a box of chocolates and some flowers.
All the cliches around Valentine’s Day never really did anything for me, either. Rose petals, hot baths, and over-the-top expressions of affection seemed corny to me.
Actually, I distinctly remember telling my mom that getting a pizza would be enough for me on Valentine’s Day. She immediately told me to raise my standards and never say that to a man lol.
I also saw how stressed people would be when trying to find the right gifts. It just made me somewhat grateful to be single and therefore excluded from the festivities.
Gifts, Gifts, and More Gifts
We can’t deny how commercialized Valentine’s Day has become.
As soon as February comes around, everything is Valentine’s Day-themed and we’re bombarded with merchandise and sales.
On one hand, with there being such a high demand for Valentine’s Day stuff, of course, retailers stock and advertise them.
But, the only reason people demand that stuff is because we’ve been socialized to think we need them to express how much we love someone.
It’s interesting going to the store during the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. You'll either see people scrambling around the store trying to find the perfect gift or see folks just dumping anything heart-shaped into their cart and calling it a day.
A Change of Heart
So, where does that leave us?
Should we just label Valentine’s Day as a soulless commercialized holiday?
Not necessarily.
I feel like a bit of a hypocrite now…
I’ve changed my mind about Valentine’s Day.
If we forget about all the gifts and societal implications, at its core, Valentine’s Day is about love. Not just romantic love, but platonic and familial love as well.
I tend to over-analyze things. So much so that I often drain the heart and humanity from things. It’s good to look at things analytically, but sometimes I have to remind myself that doing so can be a slippery slope to cynicism.
Sure, the consumerist culture around Valentine’s Day is kind of depressing, but that shouldn’t stop me from trying to express my love to people I care about.
Maybe I’m a bit biased now because I’m in a relationship now, but being indifferent and overly critical of Valentine’s Day made me lose sight of what it could be.
I guess all that love in the air has gotten to me.
When done intentionally, taking part in Valentine’s Day can be enriching. What’s more rewarding than making someone feel loved?
And that someone can be yourself too. Maybe this Valentine’s Day can be about you showing up for yourself. Or it could be about showing love to a total stranger. More random acts of love surely can’t make the world worse.
And if that means buying a couple of roses and a box of chocolates, so be it.
P.S ~ My statement on pizza and Valentine’s Day still stands so don’t judge lol.
Happy Valentine’s Day 🖤