Valentine's Day is Just a Day

By:  Mia Vitale

February 14th each year means different things to different people, it can be a reminder of the validity of your relationship or containing just the opposite effect on those of us who are not in a relationship.  Growing up I  always had a deep appreciation for Valentine’s Day, as it was such fun to  swap valentines in class and consume cookies and lessons ended early.

Although as I have gotten older it seems that the love for this date has instead turned to aversion in a bitter and cynical way allowing us to be reminded that for some of us we are still single.

I asked numerous people on campus how the day makes them feel and why?  This question produced an array of answers.

For those in relationships the feelings seemed to be a bit different, the guys seemed to have a distaste for it knowing that their girlfriends were expecting some type of elaborate celebration proving their love, because apparently there needs to be a day for that to happen.  Though on the other side of the relationship there is the one who loves the day, they love having an excuse for being reminded that they are not alone, they have obtained the validation that they do not need to sit at home and eat ice cream in their jammies while everyone else seems to be getting their big fancy dinner.

The question still lingering around is why do we let this one day make us feel less than we are? Valentine’s day has grown so much over the years that at this point it should become something that we embrace.  As a single girl I have spent all of my Valentine's Days solo and I have yet to feel bad about it, I find myself enjoying the day because I treat myself to the things that others usually expect as presents.

For me, nothing says I love myself like picking out exactly what  I want from the coffee shop to the florist.

I mean they do say “You need to love yourself, before you can love another.” So love yourself not only on Valentines Day – but everyday.