the truth about VD ;)

Ok team, so for some reason, I've heard more than the usual grumbling about Valentine's Day this year, and I think it's time somebody gave it to you straight. 

When we were growing up, every single kid showed up to school on Valentine's Day just a little bit nervous about what might happen.  Maybe you were giving a valentine to someone you hoped liked you as "more than just a friend."  Or maybe you heard from some kids at school that so-and-so liked you, and you hoped beyond hope that he or she would give you one of the "special" valentines this year.  Most of you agonized over who got what valentine - careful not to convey the wrong message to the boy or girl who spit during band practice, but sure to include an extra heart or two on the envelope of the valentine for your crush.  Valentine's Day, even then, was hell.  We went home from school on Valentine's Day having a pretty good sense of whether or not the person we liked actually liked us back.

And guess what... nothing has really changed since then.

People (generally guys) always say things "Valentine's Day is so stupid" or "Why do we have to have a holiday to tell someone they're loved?"  What I want to know, is why does it have to be so painful to let someone know you like them, love them, appreciate them, respect them or want the best for them?  That's what it's really about.  Who cares if there's one day a year devoted to it?  Who cares if Hallmark gets involved and it's the highest sales day of the year for chocolate shops?  Who cares if "giving flowers on Valentine's Day is too cliche?" 

I would ask the Valentine's Day naysayers if they give chocolates or flowers any other day of the year.  Most likely, the answer to that question is no.  And what's really going on is that your significant other is hoping, really hoping, that maybe Valentine's Day will give you an excuse to actually be sweet (and maybe even a little bit romantic)... cliche or not.

I highly doubt that you would ever hear someone who regularly gets flowers, chocolates or other romantic gestures complain about his or her significant other forgetting, ignoring or totally blowing Valentine's Day.  Those people never complain - either because their significant other has enough common sense to also be romantic on Valentine's Day or they really, truly don't care about romance on Valentine's Day because they get enough of it every other day of the year.

The people who are disappointed about a lack of TLC on v-day are those who don't get it any other day and wake up on Valentine's morning a little bit nervous, a little bit excited that maybe today would be the day where the person they like lets them know they're liked back.  That's really all this day is about.

So for those of you who may have screwed it up royally this year, on the one day someone was hoping for you to tell them how much they're liked, loved, appreciated or respected... please know that there really are 364 other days this year for you to clean up your act. At the end of the day, everyone deep down just wants to know they're liked, holiday or no holiday.