Valentines Day

I realize that this is a little late in posting, as the la jour d'amour was 4 days ago. I'm not dating anyone, so I naturally was alone on Valentines Day. Don't be sad for me. It's ok. I've been single for awhile and right now in my life being in a serious relationship would most definitely hold me back rather than push me forward. I'm too much of a free spirit, bouncing around from place to place, it wouldn't be good for a significant other who stays in the same place all the time.

But I've spent a few Valentines Days alone in the last couple of years, this holiday more so than other throws into sharp contrast who is single and who isn't. I'm truely not bitter about it. Let me tell you about my Valentines Day progression to where I am today:

There were a couple where I expressed my huge dislike for the holiday sort of anti-Valentines Day... where you look around and everyone is a couple, you want to pop the balloons and then steal the chocolates, you also want to tell everyone they're cheesy and insane to like this kind of crap, but secretly as always with projecting, those are the people who really want someone to shower them with affection and buy them cheesy balloons and be handed heart shaped boxes full of chocolates.

Then there's the denial Valentines Day, where after having your angry Valentines day the year before you're not as angry about the whole thing and just pretend like it's just another day, blatantly ignoring the fact that red is everywhere and there are little cherubs floating around with naked bottoms carrying a pint sized bow and a quiver of arrows tipped with hearts instead of hunting razors. Maybe you're in the denial phase because you're tired of being angry at all the couples for a full year worth of holidays: 'I'm going to his parents for Thanksgiving.... let me tell you what *insert boys name here* did for me on my birthday!... We celebrated Groundhog Day together its was wonderfully romantic'. Whatever the case may be you're still a little tightly wound inside but you'll relax on the 15th when all the cake will be on sale.

Somewhere along your Valentines Day line you find a single person who is also jaded with the holiday and you decide that you are going to have a great time as single people to distract yourselves from the reality that you are in fact single in what appears to be a world of those in love. You go around with your single wing-man to every bar in town and get a beer, drunkenly walking over cobblestone (I've spent a few nights in the Old Port) perhaps doing the drunk-walk with your friend as it's more difficult to walk over cobblestone than it was when you went into the bar. You laugh at all the couples, all the people wearing red, and decide that Valentines Day isn't so bad when you're drunk. Another thing that you and your single friend might do is buy a box of red wine and a straw each and have a Harry Potter movie marathon with the sleeper sofa pulled out so that you can each stretch out and snuggle with your blankets. You might also be knitting. (<3 u Sarah)

There are of course the years where you wonder if a certain someone will pull through and call, if you'll receive flowers from someone unexpected, or if someone does something which makes you look at them differently. Hope all you want, 9 times out of 10 it's not going to happen, we live in reality not Disney.

You might ask what I did this Valentines Day. I was once again, alone. My single friends were all doing something else. I had the day off. So I decided I'd pamper myself a little and be my own Valentine. I cooked myself a delicious meal, and made myself a cake. I then watched a movie and knit. No wine to mull the senses nobody but myself to share it with. But I did fully appreciate the work I put into the meal, I was knitting socks for myself and even though I had made a cake and had only one piece it was still worth it. I wasn't jealous of others who were sharing their day with significant others, let them. I also received calls from my immediate family. My Valentines Day was pretty darn good. I then brought the cake into work and shared it with my co-workers who were appreciative of the gesture. I shared my Valentines Day with lots of people rather than exclusively just one.

Valentines Day is hyped up in the media as being a holiday for just lovers. Not so. I shared my Valentines Day with people who I care about, my family and then later my co-workers. Maybe next year if find yourself alone on Valentines Day I recommend pampering yourself and appreciating who you are, and then sharing it with a few others. It's much easier to pass out good vibes than to feel sad about the whole thing.