Mid-February is when I start to think about springtime. Around this time, I always think of Friend Owl and what he says about spring in the Disney Classic Bambi.
"Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You're walking along, minding your own business. You're looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you're walking on air. And then you know what? You're knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!"
Valentine's Day is when all those twitterpated people shout it from the rooftops.
This is the one holiday that makes me feel so...alone.
There, I said it.
I'm not bitter about being single. However, this is the one day where my solitary existence is so in-my-face.
The days leading up to and including February 14, it seems, love is everywhere I look. Couples who adore each other are basking in their togetherness and flaunting their love.
Stores display their pink and red stuffed animals, candy and flowers. Walking into a store around Valentine's Day is much like getting smacked in the gut with a heart-shaped brick.
It's as if Cupid is whispering softly in my ear, "Suck it up, loser. You're going to die alone."
Clearly, this not the case, it's just that Cupid, historically, has incredibly horrible aim when it comes to me.
This is how the efforts of Valentine's Day advertising make me feel.
The commercialization of Valentine's Day has made it an obligation. It forces couples to publicly proclaim their love for one another with elaborate gifts. Nothing is spontaneous about Valentine's Day. We all know the day coming and we all know what is expected.
It's not the gifts themselves that make me dislike this day, but the high expectation and complete lack of spontaneity involved in Valentine's Day.
It's viewed as something we have to do because everyone else is doing it. Why is saying, "I love you" less valuable than sending flowers that will be dead in a week?
However, for those of you who lackluster in romancing your other half, Valentine's Day is a chance to redeem yourself. This is the one day where you can get your s@#t together and make some dinner reservations.
To me, love is not an obligation. Love is showing appreciation every day. It is given freely and should always be pure of heart.
On Valentine's Day, to all couples, may you remain twitterpated and have a Happy Valentine's Day.
