Valentine’s Day is a day full of roses, love, chocolates, and if you’re a lucky girl, some diamonds. If you’re not a lucky girl, and are instead single, it’s instead a day where you want to do nothing more than bury your head in the sand, ostrich-style. Now, if burying your head in the sand is a personal hobby, by all means continue on, however if it isn’t, there are alternatives to dealing with this fun, fun day. While I could rant on and on that Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday made to boost the sales of cards and sentimental gifts, in reality, we all know that’s not entirely the case. So what do those of us who wake up on February 14th, with a chip on our shoulder and no dinner reservations with our lover, do on this harrowing day? In high school, I used to sit in class listening to names being called on the loudspeaker to come pick up the gifts and flowers that had been sent. Instead of hoping for my name to be called, I would eat the good chocolates out of my friends’ gifts in order to make myself feel better. I don’t recommend this technique for coping, seeing as it can make for some awkward conversation when said party realizes her chocolate is missing and you have something in your teeth. But instead, what I do recommend, is finding a mature way to deal with “Single’s Awareness Day.” When I came to Florida State and realized that the emphasis on Valentine’s Day was on level with the emphasis put while in high school, I quickly decided that the only way to not go absolutely crazy with hatred and dread would be to instead do something that made me feel good. When there were things like “Valentine’s Day crushes” going on, which just seemed to be a glorified singles bar, I quickly came to the realization I was on my own. I sat down and made a list of things to do to keep my mind off of the worst day ever, and I’ve decided to let you all in on my ideas. (Yes, I am that generous of a person.)
Idea Number One: Have a movie marathon with some other single friends, but don’t choose movies that will make you feel even more depressed, like the ones that put the emphasis on love and happy endings. Action movies where a lot of things blow up are a good genre choice, and if you can stomach scary movies, those would also appear to be a good choice. (I wouldn’t know, seeing as I can’t actually stomach them myself.) Spending time with some good single friends, venting about ex’s, and maybe even gifting each other chocolates is something great to keep your mind off what the rest of America is doing on Valentine’s Day.
Idea Number Two: Have a day to yourself. Do all the things you always want to do but never have time for. Go read a new book in a beautiful location, like Lake Ella. Take a bike ride on the Tom Brown Park bike trail. Take a tour of Mission San Luis. It really doesn’t matter what you do, but do something for yourself! Not only will it make you feel better, but it’ll give you time to relax and put your worries and stress away for a little while, with the added bonus of escaping the signs of Valentine’s Day.
Idea Number Three: Bash your ex; and I don’t mean literally. I mean this more in a poetic sense. If you’ve seen the aptly titled movie Valentine’s Day, you’ll understand where I’m coming from with this: Sometimes there is no other way to get out of a funk than to trash talk. Get together with your friends and let it flow. Everything you hated, from their nasty nose picking habit to hogging all the sheets when you were sleeping. Let it all out. Obviously don’t take it further than just venting to some close friends, because you don’t want to be the kind of psycho ex that are subject of many a movie and book. It will make you feel better, and where there’s no harm, there’s no foul.
My advice: It’s only a day, it’ll be done and over with as fast as it came, and as soon as it is, Walgreens will start putting up the Fourth of July decorations, and really, who doesn’t love patriotism?