Valentine’s Day offers warmth in an otherwise cold season
Cupcakes from GiGi’s Cupcakes for the cover of the Kernel Entertainment Guide for Valentines Day, photographed at GiGi’s in Lexington, Ky., on 1/31/11. Photo by Brandon Goodwin
February 13, 2016
With Valentine’s Day being an over marketed reminder of significant others, it is important to remember that everyone deserves love. Whether it is from a partner, a friend or yourself, Valentine’s Day is an important reminder giving love in a typically cold world.
Some argue that it says something about out culture if it takes a day on the calendar to remember to tell someone we love them, and there is some merit to that. But in reality, how often do people really stop to write someone they love a sweet note, or buy them a gift out of the blue?
February can be a miserable month. With the gloomy weather and the constant pink-foiled reminder of just how single people are, it is easy to feel melancholy.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that an estimated 9.3 million adults (or about 4 percent of the U.S. adult population) reported having suicidal thoughts in 2015.
There are lots of factors that go into suicide, and it would be remiss to say that something like Valentine’s Day could cause such a rise, but it is something to keep in mind as the day of love looms.
College is hard for anybody. Life is hard. So why not celebrate it with something cheesy, and goofy, and maybe a little romantic. People like to know they are appreciated, and one comment, even if it is on Valentine’s Day, may completely change someone’s day, or life.
The mercurial nature of life means that chances to tell people how much they mean to us, may not come back around. Life is too short to not tell someone they are loved, and Valentine’s Day gives couples, friends and singles the chance to do just that.
There is more to Valentine’s Day than just Snapchat filters, date nights and the inevitable empty ice cream cartons. Yes, it is a hallmark holiday, meant to boost flower and greeting card sales, but complaining or stressing about having a date, or not having one, shouldn’t matter.
Instead, Valentine’s Day should be a day of remembering how lucky we are to have certain people in our lives, to give thanks for where we are in our lives and to celebrate love. Not in a cheesy way, but in a respectful, grateful and honorable way.
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about cuddling, fuzzy teddy bears, or heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. It is a day to focus on how much people mean to us and what can be done to better love them. It is a day to celebrate, even if it is as simple as eating a pint of ice cream and chugging a bottle of wine.
