Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I know what most of you are thinking, “here come’s the holiday that’s only good for those in a relationship”. I know there are a lot of people who dread this day for all sorts of reasons, but I am here to attempt to open up your mind to a new perspective on this “pointless” holiday.
There are a lot of pressures created by Valentine’s Day. There’s not only the dreaded ‘what am I going to do if I’m alone’ but there’s also pressure on couples to reach the “perfect” Valentine’s expectations. You might think it is nice having a significant other on this holiday to spend time with, but there are always worries that the day will not achieve holiday or personal expectations.
Now I’m not here to talk about the loneliness or date expectations. Instead, I am here to change the way we look at this holiday. Valentine’s Day may seem pointless to most people, but I think that they whole “point” of the holiday is to just appreciate the love that people have in their lives. I am not saying that this is the only day of the year that you should notice the love in your life, but often we live our lives in mindless manners and forget about them. I am not blaming anyone for falling into these manners, there is no one to blame. We all get busy in our lives and we often turn into “life robots” where we forget other aspects of our life, one of them being our “love lives”. And when I say love lives, I am not just referring to you and your significant other.
In my opinion, Valentine’s Day is not just about your significant other. I know most people would argue with me on this, I mean we have grown up our whole lives seeing the image of love on Valentine’s Day being between you and your significant other. I mean it’s hard not to think so, with the way media and our society portrays the holiday, who wouldn’t think that it’s a day meant for couples. All we ever see on the Internet are the perfect Valentine dates or gifts or ads to the ‘perfect diamond to get your girl’ and even on your favorite TV show there’s the romance between your two favorite characters. But, what I’m trying to say is it doesn’t have to be romantic.
I see Valentine’s Day as a day of appreciation for the love in our lives. It is to remind us of the people that we might have put on the back burner or forgot during those busy times of the year. Love occurs and any relationship, whether that be between a significant other, a family member or a friend. It is a day to remind us to express our appreciation to every loved one in our life.
So this Valentine’s Day, I ask you to consider looking at the day in a different perspective. It is not just a “pointless” holiday; it is a day with meaning that we haven’t considered. This Valentine’s Day express your appreciation for all of the love ones in your life, just like we should every day.