I love love.

I love being in love, falling in love, telling everyone I see that I love them, opening my heart to my emotions. I love romance and chivalry and date nights and love notes and hearts and kissing and the colors pink and red.

But…I hate Valentine’s day.

The day was created to celebrate the best thing in the universe…love.

February 14th has become focused on consumerism, forcing romance and spending money in the name of love. I’ve witnessed it create stress for both men and women, competition between friends, anger, sadness and even the annual “anti-valentine’s day party”. I just never understood how it’s “romantic” to do the same thing that everyone else is doing on the same day everyone else is doing it.

The entire day is attached to expectations and that is the exact opposite of what real love is all about.

I was telling my friend my issue with being in love with love and also disliking the day linked to celebrating the one thing I love celebrating the most. He gently stated, why don’t you put a new spin on the day so it’s not such a drag for you.

I asked him what kind of spin could possibly change my attitude?

He said: Maybe look at it like this: Valentine’s Day is for beginners.

Some people who use this one day as a day to romance their partner might be beginners, they don’t know any other way. He definitely flipped a switch in me and turned my feelings of “gag” into feelings of empathy.

To some people this is the only day they are romanced; even if it is linked to expectations they feel special on this day and that is something worth cheering for. Others may just like the holiday and embrace it because, like me, they also love love.

I am changing my attitude toward the consumer holiday and I’m going to embrace that some people need training wheels in order to learn to ride a bike and some people need Valentine’s day in order to learn to share romantic gestures.

 

 

Relephant: 

Hipster Valentine’s Cards: I’m Kinda, Sorta Into You (Just A Little).

 

Author: Shannon Mujica

Editor:  Renee Picard 

Photo: yog4art at Flickr