Valentine's Day, or Singles Awareness Day is quickly approaching, and many variables can come into play to make it a great day, or a terrible day. As someone who has never had a significant other on Valentine's Day, some people would assume that this means I've always had negative experiences and connections with this day. The reason I'm writing this article is to politely, yet firmly inform those people that they are completely wrong.

I figured out somewhat early on that Valentine's Day was never going to be a day that was made special for me. With my birthday being only nine days after Valentine's Day, I decided that if I ever had a significant other during this time, they would probably put more focus on my birthday than Valentine's Day, simply because it is a day that is more unique and personal for me. However, that doesn't mean that I would ever have to completely ignore the day and its "festivities" altogether.

I first made the decision to "treat myself" on Valentine's Day when I was 17. Although I had a boyfriend at the time, we rarely saw or sent texts to each other, and that day was no different. I decided that since I probably wasn't going to speak to him, much less see him that day, I should take matters into my own hands and get something for me. I'd heard about and seen claddagh rings before, and I wanted one of my own, just for the heck of it. I made my way to one of my favorite shops (Two Harts on Main Street in Lake Placid, NY) and looked to see if I could find one that met my two requirements: that I liked the way it looked, and that it fit. I didn't have to look for a long time before finding exactly what I was looking for. In fact, the very first ring I picked up was the one that I ended up buying. It's currently sitting on a chain along with a few other rings that I love but simply can't wear due to an overall lack of finger space.

When I was 19, I ended up spending a better part of the day in bed, only "officially" getting up around 3:00 in the afternoon. After that I took a trip to GameStop and got myself a couple of games that I had been wanting for a while: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. I also melodramatically said good bye to the social life that I barely had after getting the games. Although I made it through Alpha Sapphire in a relatively short time, I must admit that I haven't beaten Majora's Mask yet...

Last year, when I was 20, I was too busy getting excited for the plans that I had made for my birthday the following weekend to even bother with Valentine's Day festivities. Instead, I posted on Facebook about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (which is still happening today), among other things.

This year, my situation is significantly different than it has ever been. I felt like I should get out and explore some of the shops here on Main Street in Wolfville, admittedly ignorant of the storm that was making its way toward us. I was most excited to check out the bookshop that I had seen a few times, and I was determined to go and see what they had. Of course, I got somewhat overwhelmed because there were so many books that I wanted to look at and buy. Each time I would say that I was going to stop picking up books to look at them, another one would catch my eye and it would find its way on top of the stack of books in my arms. Seven books and US$70 (CAN$88) later, I left the bookshop, giggling to myself and only saying the word "Oops". I made my way down to the grocery store and bought myself a box of chocolates, some Kinder Eggs, and some Gatorade before returning to campus. Over the course of writing this article, I already ate my box of chocolates, but my new books are sure to be savoured for quite some time to come.

In the end, the point of this article was not to brag about my own exploits, but to show (with examples) that you don't need a valentine on Valentine's Day. Being your own valentine is perfectly fine, and possibly better than having someone else, because who knows you and what you like better than you?

All pictures are from my Facebook, the last two with the help of Snapchat.