V-a-l-e-n-t-i-n-e-‘-s D-a-y. For some, it’s a day where romance fills the air. But for others, it seems to be like it’s a never-ending day of torment, having to see couples falling deeper into love. Could we change the way that we look at Valentine’s Day?
I’m going to be completely honest with you all: I’ve never really been in ‘love’. Sure, I’ve had (and of course still have) my fair share of crushes on cute, nice guys, but I haven’t ever celebrated Valentine’s Day with someone. But what really is love? To me, it’s a shared emotional connection between two friends where you have the ability to just connect with each other (and honestly, I think a person’s eyes speak for it all.) I think love is really how you define it as an individual. It could be a feeling of comfort and belonging, or maybe the ability to banter with someone daily and end up forgiving each other every time. Whatever it is, we all have our own definitions.
But here’s the important thing: I still love Valentine’s Day. Perhaps it’s due to my discovery of rom-coms that I haven’t stopped watching since middle school, or maybe it’s just the concept of love itself, but I always find myself in a cheery mood when the holiday comes around the corner. I look at Valentine’s Day as a way to celebrate love in general, whether it be romantic, familial, or even self love.
So, Valentine’s Day? Galentine’s Day? Palentine’s Day? Whatever you choose to call it, Valentine’s Day can still be a fun and loving holiday for you and the people you choose to celebrate it with! Treat it as a self-love day, or a day to show affection to the people you care about such as family and friends. It doesn’t have to be a romantic love, just something that will show your love for others. Valentine’s Day is about more than just showers of roses and romance.
I’ll leave you all with some quotes I found about love, that may hopefully inspire you to have a newfound or increased appreciation for a day that’s meant to celebrate affection:
“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other” – Audrey Hepburn
“There’s no bad consequence to loving fully, with all your heart. You always gain by giving love” – Reese Witherspoon
“There are never enough I love you’s” – Lenny Bruce