Down with V-day

I have to admit, I haven’t been overly enthused about being single this week. Which is probably why I haven’t had much to say on the matter.

Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s week, to be honest, have been a bit of a downer.

I know I’m supposed to stay upbeat and positive about singleness and how it’s not so bad, but this week made it challenging.

It dawned on me, however, as I talked to a “coupled” friend the other day, that Valentine’s Day is not really about true love at all.

I was surprised by the number of married or coupled friends I spoke to the day after, who admitted they didn’t do anything with their loved ones on the big day. Many of them said they don’t really believe in V-day or they don’t celebrate it because they try to let their loved ones know they’re loved during the other 364 days of the year. Most of them scoffed at the question and admitted they don’t think much of the occasion at all.

So who is Valentine’s Day really for?

Leading up to the day, I read countless articles about how to “survive” Valentine’s Day. These were mostly aimed at singles like myself who apparently need support to get through the day without slitting our wrists.

I even wrote a post about how to get through the day cheerfully. But thinking about it now, who was I kidding? I can get a massage and make myself a nice dinner any day of the week. What Valentine’s Day ended up being for me, was a day to reflect on the fact that I’m single with a bit of time leftover for re-hashing past relationship mistakes.

Not so cheery in the end.

I tried to spread the love on Valentine’s Day, made cupcakes for my students and colleagues, sent cards to immediate family and tried to think loving thoughts.

But at the end of the day, I was just pretty grumpy.

I guess that’s why some groups have taken to calling February 15^th Singles Awareness Day. I didn’t celebrate the day this year, but if I’m still single at this time next year, maybe I’ll give it a try…………