By Bianca Galan
Oh, Valentine’s Day. Couples spend their savings on gifts, and singles look for an excuse to not feel lonely, coining the terms “Single Awareness Day” or “Friendship Day.” On top of that, couples spend months organizing their Valentine’s date or gift. We shouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day as if it’s the only day to express our love. We can love on any day of the year. We should love on any day of the year.
People have different ideas of how Valentine’s Day came to be: a soldier named Valentine that was in love with his jailor’s daughter, signing love letters to her with “From your Valentine;” another soldier of the same name that disagreed with a priest’s belief that soldiers should remain unmarried, and so on. Either way, people associate Valentine’s Day with love.
Valentine’s Day has become the one day people feel the need to express their love through gifts, chocolates, dinner and many other material possessions and gestures. Companies take the opportunity to produce a hundred commercials and restaurants double their prices. We don’t need to assign one certain day in the year to show someone how much we care. Yes, it is beautiful and romantic to plan a fancy dinner and movie and add a huge, fluffy teddy bear to the package, but these gestures are a lot more amazing when your significant other least expects it. Learn to care for yourself and others year-round instead of spending all your money for that one night that’s not even a surprise. Instead of a bouquet on Feb. 14th, give her one rose on Oct. 6th – not because it’s Valentine’s Day, but because “I wanted to.” It doesn’t even need to be with chocolates, roses and teddy bears. Love is so much more than that. The simpler the gesture, the more it can mean to someone.
Even so, Valentine’s Day is not only about couples in love. For those friends who have their annual “Single Awareness Day” dinner, have that dinner a few times throughout the year, go to the movies or give another friend an unexpected gift. Valentine’s Day is all about love, including the love among friends. Instead of using Valentine’s Day as the only day you can show love to others, learn to love yourself and others with true, worthy, simple gestures. Remember to show love every day, not just once a year.
