Why I Like Valentine’s Day

The first Valentine’s Day after my divorce (12 years ago) was sooooo hard. I felt like everyone around me was in love and celebrating their relationships and there I was, sad and lonely and miserable. On top of that, I had lost my sense of identity and to be honest, at that point in life I didn’t really know who I was or what I was doing with my life.

I’m not sure at what point the switch flipped exactly, but it wasn’t until the past couple years that I actually started liking Valentine’s Day. Now why in the heck would I, a single gal who has been single most of the past 12 years (I think I’ve had a boyfriend for 2 of the past 12 Valentine’s Days) like a holiday that is 1) sort of made up and 2) geared towards lovers?

I don’t know for sure, but I’ll tell you what I think.

1. I’m a hopeless romantic. So this somehow automatically makes Valentine’s Day my holiday by default (although it’s not my favorite). But seriously, the romantic in me just likes the idea of a whole day being designated to expressing like or love or kind sentiments towards others.
2. My love language is gifts. This does not make me greedy, nor do I need be showered with gifts to feel loved. But since this is my language, I also enjoy giving gifts, even small things, to my friends and family in hopes that they will also feel loved. And since V-Day is all about love – well, you can see where I’m headed here. It’s an occasion for me to recognize and gift the people who are most important to me, even in the smallest ways.
3. I’ve learned to love myself.  There is so much talk about self-love these days, but for real, it’s one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself, especially when you are perpetually single like I am. I buy myself flowers and treat myself to ice cream and yeah, I would love to be swept off my feet by the love of my life. But hey, that hasn’t happened yet, so meanwhile, I do things for myself that make me feel good and happy and loved.

So this Valentine’s Day, if you don’t have a special someone to celebrate with, it’s ok! Bake cookies for a friend or buy your niece some heart stickers and a Paw Patrol card (oh wait, I did that). I guarantee that showing love to someone else feels even better (or at least as good) as receiving it.