Let's face it: Valentine's Day has become a taboo topic, settling in quite nicely on the do-not-bring-up-in-polite-company list.
Regardless of which side of the opinion spectrum you are on, this "brilliant marketing ploy" seems to cause anxiety for singles and couples alike. Expectations, frustrations, hormones and defense mechanisms are running high this time of year, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a recipe for disaster.
Instead of admitting our insecurities or acknowledging the pressure to impress, we choose to hide behind ever-so-eloquent Facebook statuses and grandiose, life-altering comments like, "Why do we need a designated holiday to celebrate love?" and "Shouldn't love be celebrated every day?"
Well, I've got beef to pick with you Valentine's Day haters.
To the people calling Valentine's Day a marketing scheme, riddle me this: does the existence of Christmas trees, the idea of gift-giving and the notorious holiday stress mean we should stop celebrating Christmas? Or does the existence of Easter bunnies, egg hunts and Easter candy mean we should stop celebrating Easter?
Are you catching what I'm throwing here?
A distortion of something does not take away from the inherent significance of that thing. In other words, the existence of heart-shaped balloons, obnoxiously-overpriced bouquets and teddy bears the size of real bears does not mean we should boycott Valentine's Day.
To the people protesting that love should be celebrated every day: Why yes, love should indeed be celebrated every day. But I am willing to go out on a limb here and say that you are not one of the very few people who actually do that.
Fact is, humans are slaves of routine, and despite being aware of this and having the best intentions to live in the present, unplug from technology, YOLO, carpe diem and all that jazz, we still find it extremely difficult to carve out time in our oh-so-busy schedules to truly appreciate and celebrate those we love.
Sometimes we just need a little reminder to stop and smell the roses, metaphorically speaking, and Valentine's Day accomplishes just that, regardless of our relationship status.
Whether you’re single, dating, engaged, married, or somewhere in between, use the day as an opportunity to break away from the mundanity of everyday life and shower everyone around you with love and appreciation. Surprise your husband with breakfast in bed, even if Saturday is the only day of the week you get to sleep in. Babysit your friends' children so they can finally go on a date. Call your 90-year-old grandma, even if it results in an hour-long conversation with her doing all of the talking.
Just for one day, spread love – patient, kind, humble, selfless, unconditional love.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-15)