Valentine's Day

Those that know me well know that this will be my first Valentine's Day that I actually have a girlfriend for. But, just as in years past, I will not be celebrating it. Now, before I get chastized and warned, let me tell you that the lady friend and I are on the same page about this.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "She's just saying that." "She's testing you, and you're going to fail." I can see where this would be true with a lot of people, but this person in question is not the type that gets satisfaction from testing people, or trying to trick them into doing something for them.

Before I get into it, let me just say that I have nothing against those who do celebrate Valentine's Day. That's your perogative. And that smiling teddy bear holding a heart that reads "I love you" that you are planning to buy for her is really cute.

What I've never understood about Valentine's Day is that it is not the type of thing a holiday should exist for. We shouldn't need a specific day to celebrate love, because love is something that should be celebrated everyday.

There does not, to my knowledge, exist a day called "Don't kick your friends day". That is because we don't need a designated day to remind us that it is wrong to kick your friends. You know that is wrong, and so (most likely), every day, you wake up, and you do not kick your friends. Having a day to recognize that would be a bit redundant.

I see Valentine's Day the same way. You should not need a special day marked off on your calendar to remind you to show love for your significant other, family members, friends, etc. That should be an inherent thing that you do every day. Furthermore, even if you see Valentine's Day as that day where you go above and beyond for that special someone, why do you need a certain date to remember to do that?

I believe that doing something special for someone because you are supposed to, or because somebody (or a group of stores) told you to is akin to doing something kind for someone else for the sheer reason of receiving praise for yourself. It's misguided. It's meaningless.

My other reason for not wanting to celebrate Valentine's Day is that I don't feel like giving my money to Hallmark, or whoever else because I don't think they deserve to make money on a day based on love, when quite frankly, they couldn't possibly care less about genuine love. Because if they did, they'd realize love is not shown with things; it is shown with your words and actions. I also don't feel like giving my money to a restaurant to sit in a crowded room with a bunch of other couples, eating entrees that could be bought for half the price the day before or the day after, and probably with better service as well.

As I said, I'm not going to criticize people who choose to celebrate this day. And I don't presume to be some sort of expert in any way when it comes to this stuff. Undoubtedly, I have a boatload to learn. But I do believe that if you need this day to show that you do love that special someone, chances are you've got way bigger problems to deal with than 'what color of roses should I buy'.

Z