Leslie Knope is my role model. Well, besides the nervous breakdowns, petty grudges, screaming, and all around craziness her persona exudes. Okay, so maybe I just admire her ingenuity and tenacity for helping people.

Anyway, one of Leslie’s best ideas on Parks and Rec is “Galentine’s Day,” a day she plans for all of her “gal pals” where they get together to hang out and hear Leslie share what she loves about each of them (before she showers them with gifts).

This year, my friends and I will be celebrating Galentine’s day after Valentines day. Yes, just in time to celebrate as we watch our inflated expectations of romance drift out of sight on the wind before they, like a bubble, pop. And that’s okay because those expectations were never healthy.

For a lot of people, Valentine’s Day becomes “Singles Awareness Day”. We are taught that if we don’t have a date by February 14 then we have somehow messed up, that we are unloved. But on Galentine’s Day my girls and I will celebrate the fact that single, or in a relationship, we are loved by some pretty awesome people, and that we all have something unique to contribute to the world.

Why celebrate Galentine’s Day?

It’s a chance to go out, have a little bit of fun, but also to affirm each other. Too often we believe our culture as it whispers that our worth comes from who we know, what we do, or who we are dating, when in fact, our worth comes from the truth that we are loved by God, unconditionally and eternally. We need to declare the value of the women (and men too for that matter) around us because if we don’t, no one will.

Oh also, candy. Candy is a great reason to celebrate. Besides the fact that it’s good to affirm each other, this college girl is thinking about all of the half-priced candy that drug stores need to get rid of after February 14 and so I will be taking advantage of that. I hope that this month you will take the time to affirm the value of those closest to you and also, I hope you eat something sugary.