For years I was convinced Valentine’s Day was nothing more than a capitalistic Hallmark ploy to sell crappy chocolates and cards with Cupid on them.
I was a certified Valentine’s Day hater, and I was unapologetic about it. There was no way I was going to take part in a holiday based on spending money and couples who participate in way too much PDA for my taste.
Until my first Valentine’s Day with a significant other — even though that is not what it is all about — I realized the day of love doesn’t have to be all about plastic-tasting conversation hearts and a chubby flying baby with a bow and arrow.
Even though my significant other knew about my distaste for the holiday, he left extra tubes of my favorite chapstick in my car with a sweet handwritten note to surprise me. This small gesture made me feel so loved it took me aback. It could not have cost him more than five dollars to put the gift together, and yet it made me feel known, seen and valued.
The kind gesture prompted me to look back on all the Valentine’s days in my life. I remembered the excitement of showing up to school in my best pink and red outfit. My backpack would be stuffed full of puppy or dinosaur valentines and chocolates — enough for every single person in my class. I remembered how my parents and grandparents made me and my siblings valentines gifts every year.
For every Valentine’s Day after that, I realized that random day in the middle of the shortest month was another opportunity to show the people dearest to me how much I love them.
While I try my very best to show my friends love on a day-to-day basis, it is so easy to get lost in the frenzy of life. Valentine’s Day is a sweet reminder to slow down and bask in the love, throw a few extra compliments as you walk around campus and switch your usual black T-shirt for a bright pink one. It is an extra motivator to be smiley and giggly and full of love.
Yes, the candy hearts suck. The sappy love songs can be an ear-full. And yes, the couples can be annoying — guilty. But whether your love is familial, platonic, romantic or even just a love for life, make the most of a day dedicated to love.
___________________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Contact Marley Penagos via Twitter (@marleypenagos) or email: marley.penagos@pepperdine.edu
