By Scott Stromquist (Contributer) – Email
The brief season dedicated to love and romance is upon us. The 14th of February is coming, and with it, as always, is an abundance of emotional paraphernalia. It is the most bi-polar of all holidays and, consequently, it draws immense feelings of both resentment and adoration. For some relationships, it can be a gauge of strength and direction. If you’re in denial about a doomed liaison you’ve got going, it’s going to be pretty obvious after Valentine’s. For others, it is an afterthought, buried beneath a mountain of errands and deadlines along with Easter and your brother-in-law’s half-birthday. And yes, to a small few, it is the day they most look forward to aside from Christmas. It is this group who has been given a hard time of late.
Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a lot of people going out of their way to bash this light, fluffy holiday. We’ve all seen and heard these brainiacs who try and dissect Valentine’s on an intellectual level. Claims that it is merely a commercial cash-grab concocted by the government are very in right now. And you can’t eavesdrop behind your vanilla latte without hearing complaints about the packed restaurants and cheap chocolates that seem to be everywhere!
I think we can all agree that, much of the time, the hostility towards Valentine’s Day is the bitterness of being single in disguise, and a feeble one at that. If you’re one of those people who rant and moan, just know that you might as well wear an “I’m so tired of being single!” t-shirt to a nude beach. No, your devious plots to taint your coupled friends’ day of romance are not as stealthy as you’d like to think.
It should be noted that there are repercussions that go along with this contrived malice. You open the door to friends and family turning the tables on you when you finally hook up with your dream girl or guy. And be warned, if you’re ever on the receiving end of a roast down the line, nailing you for sanctimonious anti-Valentine’s monologues will be at the top of everyone’s list.
On the plus side, the ill feelings toward February 14th are usually fairly mild and short-lived. You might say that they are part of a phase that all twenty-somethings go through at some point. Viewed from that angle, they seem fairly harmless and can be forgiven.
I think the best remedy for this resentment is diversion. If you need to blow off some steam, do it productively. Find a punching bag or spend some time at the gym, and have a relaxing steam after! Who knows, it could help get you on the path to finding that next special someone.
