Even though I’m usually single, I still consider Valentine’s Day one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy the traditions – the flowers, the chocolate, the baked goods and the love in the air. I have never been one to be cynical about Valentine’s Day or become tired of all the couples. How?
I used this holiday as time for spreading love and showing self love.
I have had some of my best memories on Valentines Day. The seniors of my school would always hold bake sales with amazing cookies and red velvet cupcakes, that wasn’t necessarily the highlight – but it sure did add to the experience.
In the hopes of changing your possible pessimistic outlook towards the day, here’s a few ways I’ve made Valentine’s Day a less lonely occasion.
On Valentine’s Day, my friends and I would always gift each other roses, letters and baked goods. It was always such a nice way to show that we appreciated each other. As we got older – and old enough – we would spice it up and would get wine and eat our hearts out. It honestly did lead to stupid decisions and me confessing my undying love for some random guy and getting rejected. I remember feeling like I was dying inside but eventually I got to laugh about it all – and got some inspiration for poetry.
Besides other external relationships, I have used this day to appreciate myself. The longest relationship you will ever have is with yourself. I have realized, over time, how important it is to love yourself and practice self love. I’d use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to treat myself. I would go to restaurants with delicious food, buy cute outfits, or have a day in – where I watched a movie I liked and had the foods I was craving. I also took it as time to reflect on the person I was and all of my achievements.
A lot of people, perhaps even you, wonder why we need one special day for this – you should try to work on your self love everyday. But it’s important to have days where you reflect on yourself and celebrate life in a different manner.
There are 365 days – take a few days to have fun traditions. So why not use Valentine’s Day? Reclaim this capitalist tradition instilling the necessity for a ‘significant other’ by spending money on the neoliberal traditions of bettering yourself instead.
Author : Tasha
Illustration : Robin Eisenberg
Editor: Ayesha