My Valentine

February 14^th.  A day where girls, whether they are in relationships or not, create these lofty expectations that are never met.  Yes it’s Valentine’s Day.  The one day of the year men scramble for that list minute card, hastily dial the local florist hoping they can still have flowers delivered, or drive to the nearby drugstore for some candy hearts.  Why does this always happen, year after year?  Hype.  It’s the hype that has been created for this day.  As soon as you flip the calendar from January to February, it seems like the 14^th is bigger and bolder than all the rest. 

Why do we put all of this pressure on our relationships?  I’m actually glad I don’t have to deal with it this year.  I can just treat this day like all the rest, even though I may indulge in some chocolate and wine at the end of the day.  I will be celebrating Valentine’s Day, but not in the traditional sense of sending flowers or opening sappy cards.  This year I’m going to be celebrating me.  I’m going to be my own Valentine and loving that I am a strong, single, independent woman who knows exactly who she is.  I don’t need cheesy cards, unwanted gifts, or dehydrated flowers to tell me that.  I love where my life is right now and I couldn’t be happier.  So I’m going to do what I want to do on Valentine’s Day, in fact for the whole weekend.  I have the freedom to do whatever my heart desires and what makes me happy. 

It could be a number of different things: Watching “Say Anything” and listening to Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” on repeat without having to hear anyone else complain about it.  It could be going to the bar with a girlfriend and enjoying drinks and desserts while gossiping about our latest love dramas and life issues without having to feel guilty about not hanging out with a significant other.  It could be sitting at home doing absolutely nothing but curling up with tea and a good book without the stress of having to worry about what I look like or what I’m wearing.  Yes, I can honestly I’m really looking forward to this Valentine’s Day and spending it with me.  I do love love.  Don’t get this post confused with an anti-Valentine’s Day rant.  I’m just at a place where I don’t want the traditional; I want the weird, unusual, and unexpected.  Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day of love, a day of saying, “I love you” and really mean it.  I can say that to my family and finally I can say it to myself, which is why I think this February 14^th will be better than all the rest.