Valentine’s Day is a beautiful, pure holiday that celebrates the most fundamental connection between human beings. It’s a day to give thanks to all of the people who have helped you, inspired you, and educated you. It’s a day to remember their impact in your life, and for you to recognize it in whatever way seems fit.
So here’s my concern with “Singles Awareness Day”. Is Valentine’s Day only a holiday to be celebrated among those in romantic relationships? Is there no room for platonic love, familial love, for honoring and respecting all of those that you hold dear? My first memory of Valentine’s Day was begging my mom for an old shoe box that I could decorate and bring to school so that I could exchange those rectangular Hallmark buy-in-bulk character cards. Valentine’s Day was a time to tape lollipops to paper notes and to celebrate that my friends and I could enjoy a Halloween-like collection of candy. We would beg our friends to give us Valentines with our favorite characters on them and trade them like baseball cards at recess. There was no hint of romance in the first grade, only friendship and sugar and cartoon card collections.
I hold no lack of love for the people that I do not date. I love all with the same intensity, just by different means. “Singles Awareness” is a closed-off, bitter look at a world that is not shared exclusively with one human being. We live in a world where we can love as many people as possible, with all of the passion found in those Hollywood movies.
So what if your’e single? Heart-shaped chocolate boxes have plenty of confections to share with friends. A dozen roses can be handed out to eleven of the most amazing people in your life, with no hint of a Bachelor-style elimination round. Your mom would love to receive a kitschy Hallmark card that’s flourished with your unique signature and a brief “xoxo”. There’s nothing that a romantic relationship holds that you can’t give to anyone else in your life.
Make it a challenge to show your love to at least three people in your life this Valentine’s Day. Show the world the love you know it deserves, for one day or every day. “Singles Awareness”? More like awareness of all the loved ones in my life. Though a corporate holiday at best, Valentine’s Day is still a day dedicated to telling my family and friends how much they mean to me. What could be more amazing than that?