Today is Valentine’s Day, the one day in the year dedicated specifically to love. Now, I’m no Dr. Date, but “love” is as complex of a word as it is an emotion.
“I love you, bro,” “love you, mom,” “OMG, I love Taylor Swift,” “I love this, [expletive]” — all are varied expressions of the care, appreciation and affection we feel for someone.
Feb. 14 continues to define love in purely a romantic context. It is but one day when the gifts are special, the dresses are cuter, the restaurants are high-end, the wines are pricier and the sex is hotter. Proclaiming your love to that special person, and to the rest of the world via social media, is increasingly becoming a V-day tradition.
Then there are the haters — the proud single people, either by choice or often the lack thereof. These people believe that V-day is a silly concept and curse the concept of love in general. Less aggressive ones argue that every day is a day for love. They’ve got a point, too. I mean why shouldn’t you drop 20 bucks on roses, spend extra time grooming yourself, try to rhyme lines on a card or buy teddy bears everyday of the year, right?
The nervous smile on the connector, the small talk before classes, the late-night texting, a few dates, the Facebook official relationship status — as college folks, we all have been there. Things are going solid until you or your squeeze decides to drop the “L word.” Things are never the same again. I have friends who had freak-outs and ran for their lives, and friends who are planning their wedding to a person they met just last week because they believe themselves to be characters of a Shakespearean romance saga.
My point is, the intensity of everyone is different, but saying “I love you” is still very much a big deal. Say it only if you mean it. We are Americans. We love celebrating things by the day. Mothers, veterans, pancakes — everything gets a day, so why not love? So take this day to tell that special person in your life that you love them. And for the rest of you that are single, well, I’m looking.
