Valentine's Day: Single Edition

Coming from someone who has spent the past 20 years of her life without a boyfriend, I don’t really know how qualified I am to be speaking on the subject of Valentine’s Day. But one of the things about myself that I can appreciate is that if I try hard enough, I can spin any situation into a positive one. So for this blog post, I want to talk about my thoughts on Valentine’s Day and how I enjoy it every year, even if it’s not in the “traditional” Valentine’s Day sense.

As much as I joke about how I’ve been single my entire life, I’m not going to lie and say there haven’t been moments where I wished I had a boyfriend or was in a relationship. And the fact that my 16-year-old brother got a girlfriend before I got a boyfriend was the icing on top of the cake. But I know that I don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. I feel like I am personally in a place in my life right now where I have never been happier. I am a junior in college majoring in what I love, learning things that will help further my career, making new friends, and living with the best people. If 15-year-old me were to get a glimpse of where I am now, she would probably be a bit surprised that I’m still single but even more proud at what I have accomplished.

With that being said, having this mindset makes the topic of Valentine’s Day a lot easier to swallow. I know there are some people out there who despise the holiday because it just makes them reminded that they are single. But the way I look at Valentine’s Day isn’t just about a holiday celebrating your significant other, but as a holiday to celebrate love. I have amazing friends that I love, I have my family who I love, and I even try to channel my self-love. If Valentine’s Day is all about love, why can’t I celebrate that type of love too? This morning I woke up and immediately texted my friends from home, my college friend group chat, and my mom and grandparents wishing them all a happy Valentine’s Day, and they did the same to me. I find that by focusing on the love that you do have instead of what you don’t, it makes the day so much better.

I also need to put a reminder out that Valentine’s Day is a holiday made up by companies to make more money. While it is very fun to celebrate, it should not be taken as seriously as holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or Easter. At the end of the day, advertising companies use Valentine’s Day to appeal to the masses and sell candy and cards that are overpriced because they are in a shape of a heart. And by no means am I saying this because I’m cynical or bitter, it’s simply to put it into perspective. If you love Valentine’s Day and want to celebrate it you absolutely should. I know that even though I’m saying all of this, the second I get a boyfriend and Valentine’s Day rolls around, I’m going to be all over the cards, candy, and flowers.

But this Valentine’s Day, like many others, was spent single. And I still had such an amazing day! I woke up to find out that all of my classes got canceled due to the snow we had gotten the night before which was super exciting. I got up, cleaned my room, and then went downstairs to have coffee and breakfast with Sarah. I spent the morning doing some work and then headed to school because I had an interview scheduled with the coordinators of a local coffee shop for a piece I am writing in my magazine writing class. I had such a lovely conversation with them and absolutely loved learning about the shop. The next hour was spent drinking hot chocolate and doing some homework while listening to the Valentine’s Day-themed playlist they had playing over the speakers.

I then went to Stop and Shop to pick up some things for the Galentine’s Day dinner I was having later that night but on my way out of school, I saw they were selling carnations for a dollar apiece. I pick up one for each of my girlfriends and decided to drop them off on my way home which was super fun. I also got myself sushi in a heart-shaped tin which was absolutely delicious and the best valentines day gift I could have gotten for myself.

Later that night we went over to Ava Emma and Maddy’s house and had a Galentine’s day party complete with a charcuterie board, heart-shaped pizza, pink lemonade, shirley temples, bruschetta, and music and dancing. We spent the night talking and having some much-needed girl time. It was genuinely such a fun time that Sarah and I ended up staying at their house until midnight when I had to get up at 6:30 in the morning the next day. But it’s okay because I did end up making it to my 8 a.m. class with time to spare.

All in all, I do love Valentine’s Day. and I will admit that there were some years where I liked it a bit less because I was single but now so I tend to look at Valentine’s Day as just another day with a little special twist. I know that one day I’m going to get to celebrate in a “traditional” sense, but for now, I’m trying to enjoy it with my friends.

Okay so last week I didn’t post and this week I’m posting on a Wednesday. To be completely honest I have just been so burnt out from school. I’m in two writing classes so I’ve been typing for almost every assignment I have had. I’m trying to work on balancing Spit It Out and school so I’m hoping it gets easier as the semester goes on but for now I’m planning on taking it one step at a time!

I hope you all have a lovely week!

- Meg

P.s. Here are some photos of Galentine's dinner! Ava and Maddy made the pizza and bruschetta and the charcuterie board was a team effort! Enjoy!