Valentine's Day

Despite the fact that I generally do not appreciate chick flick movies, my mother netflix'd Valentines Day, (which I had never seen) so I watched it-just for the heck of it. As I began watching it, I immediately disliked it. As I came back to it later and watched the rest of it, it grew on me. Even though I like it now, it's definitely not one of my FAVORITE MOVIES EVER-but it's cute. For sure not unlike all of the other chick flicks out there identical to it. Anyway-this movie is obviously about Valentines Day and the distinction between people who love and despise Valentines Day. Lets be real-the people who have significant others typically tend to enjoy Valentines Day while those who are "alone" do not embrace this "holiday". I personally am not a fan of Valentines Day simply because it is a purely commercialized holiday that gives people an excuse to be unoriginal and uncreative. Not to mention the fact that I am repelled by all things romantic, gushy, and infatuated.

In this movie, one of the ladies hosts an "I Hate Valentine's Day" party every year, complete with a heart shaped pinata that you get to beat all your love woes out on. At first I thought this was a brilliant although pessimistic idea for Valentine's Day simply because it mocks the naivety of the overrated holiday and counters the norm of Valentine's Day obligations. Then I began to think...ok-pessimism towards Valentine's Day is not so uncommon anymore. Sometimes it seems like more people hate this holiday rather than embrace it. So what is left that has not been done? It dawned on me that if this is such a "holiday of love", why aren't we loving? Why are we so focused inward on our own misfortunes? That's not being loving towards anyone including ourselves. If we are one of the individuals feeling "unloved" on this oh-so-cliche day, why not turn the game around and love the crap out of anyone and everyone that we can get our hands on? At this juncture let me clear up what I mean by "loving on people". I am purely referring to agapos love, unconditional as opposed to eros, romantic. I have come to find that helping, encouraging, loving, and serving OTHER people when WE feel unloved not only benefits the person that we are giving to...but it brings us satisfaction and happiness as well.

So this Valentine's Day, why don't we start something new? Why don't we find as many people as we can to show love, adoration, and appreciation to? What better way to take the focus off of the superficiality and dread of Valentine's Day that so many people selfishly indulge in during this season, than by focusing on other people that feel unloved? Don't they need love just as much as us? Maybe more? While we are busy worrying about how loved WE feel on Valentine's Day, why don't we JUST DO IT ourselves and do to others as we would have them do for us?

Maybe this will be the best Valentine's Day yet.