I remember Valentine’s Day when I was single. I would wake up in the morning, go about the day as if it were normal, congratulate couples, ask about their plans, and go home to cook dinner for myself. It wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I liked Valentine’s Day. It gave me a chance to see mushy love at its finest, to gawk and awe at people’s wonderful relationships while dreaming of my own someday.
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Now, I’m engaged and getting ready to have a Valentine’s for the rest of my life. I can’t tell you how excited I am to share life with my best friend.
But just because I have a Valentine’s now doesn’t mean my perspective on Valentine’s Day changed at all. I still love Valentine’s Day to the same degree as I did when I was single. Why? Because . . .
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. It’s a holiday, not a memorial.
Some people, especially single people, absolutely despise Valentine’s Day because it becomes a reminder that they are single and lonely. I understand this feeling. Being single is trying at times.
But, in their hatred of the holiday, they become what I call BUZZKILLS.
Buzzkills annoy me. They are those people who are so entrenched in their circumstances that whenever someone has good news, they divert the situation on themselves and murder the happiness of the moment. They are selfish with their feelings, wanting others to be on their level.
Valentine’s Day, I’ve learned, is the day when buzzkills thrive. They flock around and make couples feel bad for being in love while they are single, saying that Valentine’s Day is the worst holiday on the planet. Then, they go on to reveal their plans of being alone that night, dragging the couple down into a pit of sadness when they should be celebrating.
Truth is, Valentine’s Day is not a holiday designated to couples only. It is a time for everyone to enjoy because love is universal. We are knit with this longing for human intimacy in our being, and Valentine’s Day should be a day where we celebrate that desire, because without it, life wouldn’t make much sense.
So if you are single, don’t be a buzzkill. This holiday is for you too. Enjoy the sights of love around you. And remember, couples want to celebrate with you. Don’t intentionally try to bring them down. Lift them up in their spirits, and join them up there.
Also, take the time to celebrate the love in your own life as well. Don’t wallow in your self-pity; that will make no day fun. Remember you are loved: by your friends, your family, and the very Creator of love Himself.
If only we could throw a party for the amount of love we have in life, then we would party everyday. But alas, there’s only one day where love can recognized by everyone. So let’s make the most of it.
Forget commiserating, and start celebrating.