Valentine's Day Thoughts

With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, a hefty host of us are spending a lot of time thinking of one thing or another. In the case of those with significant others, plans and surprises are likely being put in motion. With any luck, these plans will proceed unhindered, and good times will be had by all.

The rest of us are thinking of quite different things. Maybe someone is planning a winning move. I wish you the best of luck (not that I encourage people 'hooking up' on Valentine's Day just to feel like they're not alone). Others of us (myself included) are watching the day approach like a NEA readying for terrestrial impact. We know it's coming, we know it's going to suck, and there's nothing we can do about it.

As a mechanism of dealing with these considerations, should you share them, I would like to encourage you to realize that we are in a position of strategic advantage. Allow me to explain: for people with significant others, Valentine's Day marks out something special. It'll be an "up" day, a day to look forward to. By contrast, the "unattached" might be tempted to see Valentine's Day as a "down" day, something to dread. A day when things go from bad to worse.

Don't panic.

Look at it this way--Valentine's Day is painful to the unattached for what reason? Because it makes us aware of our detachment? Because we know that others around the nation will be celebrating their love, a love that you currently don't possess or share with anyone?

Both of these, and maybe more. But here's the upswing; is Valentine's Day the only day you're made aware of your detachment? Is it the only day where you realize that others are sharing their love for each other?

It's not. Valentine's Day is not remarkable in the negative spectrum to the unattached, because it's simply no worse than any other day. And really, it's not about being alone on Valentine's Day. It's about being alone, period. This isn't new (unless, you know, it is, in which case I feel for you). We've been weathering this storm some of us for weeks, months, years even. And we're still here. We're still alive. We still function. Yes, at times it may be lonely, and at times it may cause you to question your own value... but we've already got our hands on the short end of the stick. We've had our hands there. And you know what? We can take that short end, and we can go on, and well...

I guess that's something.

Love to my family and friends,

Matt