As a society, I firmly believe we get all holiday-obsessed for the absolute wrong reasons, and Valentine's Day proves to be no exception. Sure flowers, milk-chocolate, and the cute, romantic notes complete with a fancy dinner are totally sweet and flattering, but why do we only reserve special things like that for one day out of the year?
I was having a conversation with a professor the other day, and she told me her husband was going to be gone on Valentine's Day this year. My immediate response was, "Awww, that is so sad! Is he going to send you flowers anyway?" But all she did was laugh. She told me that she did not care either way if he was around because in her relationship, every day was like Valentine's Day. This conversation put so many things into perspective for me.
I first started thinking about my own relationship, and I realized that it, too, was just like Valentine's Day because I am privileged enough to have someone who reminds me every day how much he loves me. Flowers and chocolate suddenly seemed so materialistic and trivial to me because, in hindsight, they in no way adequately measure love.
My mom, and I'm sure everyone else's mom in the entire world, lives by the motto that actions speak louder than words, and in this case, I realized that the little, daily things that happen in my relationship are what make it so special. Doing homework together, watching movies, or even just laying around talking about the day is worth way more than a day full of fluffy, pointless gifts.
I'm not knocking V-Day by any means, so any cupids out there reading this can still let their arrows fly. The original idea of the holiday is absolutely beautiful, and sometimes I think we lose that in all the excess. My hope is to challenge people to take the concept of Valentine's Day and extend it into daily life.
Because as I mulled over that little conversation even more, I realized that my professor was completely right. Every day should be like Valentine's Day, whether you are in a relationship or not. Going out of your way to show the people in your life- friends, family, or even that special someone- just how much you love them should be a part of everyone's daily routine. Kind gestures, reminders, or even an appreciation text has the same power to make someone's day as a $40 box of caramels or even a bouquet of roses, I promise. So instead of vowing to make Valentine's Day 2k16 one for the books, vow to make each day something memorable for the people you love.
