Anecdotally, last Valentine’s Day was the bee’s knees for me. I got very lucky and happened to go on a date to Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center with a man whose day job was portraying Prince Charming. When I got home I had several messages waiting from the boy I loved about how much he missed me and felt lonely without me in Madison. It fucking rocked.
I was all about Valentine’s Day last year. However, this year with less on the line and fewer serious relationships in my life, I feel particularly mellow around the so-proclaimed “day of love.” I’m happy to see so much pink, and seeing two attractive people holding hands always brings a smile to my face, but I certainly don’t have any big plans.
Along that same line, I don’t hate Valentine’s Day, regardless of how much trendier that would be. Most people I know have a very particular stance on Feb. 14, but I don’t think that’s either necessary or conducive to any kind of happiness. If we’re happy one year and disappointed the next, we’ve just felt double the consequence of having lost that person who had made us so excited.
Valentine’s Day has got to be the most controversial holiday America has invented. Every unattached person I know becomes an even whinier bitch and everyone in a relationship flaunts their bullshit happiness on the Facebook.
However, more often than not, people our age are stuck in relationships that have no hard definition. They’re more than just a fuck buddy but certainly not near “official” territory. Maybe we have just one person we regularly bone, or maybe we’re edging closer and closer to romance with an already-established friend.
Whatever it is, we should try to do something we actually want to do, whether alone, with our friends or with that special someone, even if our relationship has no label. I have a friend who gets drunk on Franzia and watches Lord of the Rings every Valentine’s Day. My foodie friends make each other a cool meal to share. I’m more of a go-with-the-flow grill, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun.
If we try so hard to live up to the idealized version of this Hallmark Holiday, we run the risk of missing out on enjoying potentially thrilling adventures or tasty meals with people we enjoy spending time with. Do something you think is fun and say “Screw it!” to all of those conformist traditions that aren’t for you!
That being said, we should still take advantage of getting to spend some special time with the person or people we’re into. Maybe check out a new restaurant or go see a movie at Union South. We get a free pass to share our feelings, which is nearly impossible for us stubborn/idiotic/super fun Millennials. We can also have Terrific Lady Day-esque sex, allowing ourselves to forget about school, work and DRAMA to enjoy our time with our bedroom bud.
I guess what I’m basically trying to say is that we shouldn’t put so much pressure on ourselves. That’s obviously a general statement to which I almost always allude, but that doesn’t make it less true. If we’re able to have fun the way we want with the people we want, Feb. 14 just becomes a model for how we should otherwise live our lives. Ain’t nothing wrong with that!
Need more inspiration to join the Communist Party of Wisconsin? Email Alex at sex@dailycardinal.com to ask questions, Comrade!
