I have always thought the meaning behind Valentine’s Day is so special. A day full of red roses, kisses, chocolates, and love confessions is a day worth celebrating, even though I have never dated anyone.
Being single has less to do with the fact that I do not like anyone and nobody likes me, and more to do with the fact that I have not found a man yet who I feel is worth spending my time with romantically. Because I have never prioritized my romantic relationships, I have heard my friends tell me over and over again to date “just to date”, which personally contradicts what I want. Some of my friends do not understand that I could date, but have chosen not to yet.
It took a while for me to be accepting of the love around me. I know that I am deserving of all kinds of love, but sometimes it is hard to accept love. There are so many factors that can contribute to feeling undeserving of love, and it is more common than we think. For a really long time, I limited myself to the idea that I was never going to find romantic love because I had never found it yet. In my late high school years, I realized that not only was love all around me, but I am also so full of love. The only thing that was stopping me from getting into a relationship was myself. Good things take time, and because I was not ready yet for that level of commitment in high school does not mean that I will never be able to find romantic love as an adult.
Lots of the time, people think Valentine’s Day should be reserved for couples and romantic love, but I completely disagree. In fact, when we were younger and celebrating Valentine’s Day in elementary school, it favored platonic relationships. For the past three Valentine’s Days, I rounded up all my girl friends and planned a Galentine’s. This was a good way for me to shift my perspective and celebrate something that I found to be beautiful. I have had such a fun time celebrating with my friends recently, and am looking forward to Valentine’s Day 2025.