Valentine's Day a.k.a That Wretched Day

With Valentine's Day almost around the corner, I figured I share my thoughts on what many deemed to be a very special day.

Valentine's Day (also comically known as Singles' Awareness Day) is the traditional day on which lovers let each other know about their love.

The history of Valentine's day can be traced back to an obscure Catholic Church feast day, said to be in honor of Saint Valentine. The day's associations with romantic love arrived after the High Middle Ages, during which the concept of romantic love was formulated.

The day is now most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards. The Greeting Card Association estimates that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association also estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines. I am not included in that figure. But you can't help but wonder...Why take one day, when there are clearly 364 other days in the year, to express the love you, the genuine admiration you have for someone else?

With me basking in my singledom and all, if I were to truly acknowledge this day, my VDay would be spent alone. It would mark the 3rd or 4th year that I'm romantically detached. However, I refuse to even go there. I can look at it all from this perspective: I won't be disappointed if I don't get flowers and chocolates; I won't have to get dressed from some fancy dinner & a surprise that may not be anything I'd ever expect.

But for those couples all over the world who do have special plans for VDay, I hope that you enjoy yourselves and remember that this day isn't about what spiffy gift your guy or gal is going to shower you with or where you'll have dinner or go dancing. It's really about being with the one you love and them knowing that you love them unconditionally.