Feb. 14 is a day that you either dread or anticipate, depending on what kind of person you are. Valentine’s Day is an ordinary day given an extraordinary purpose: the celebration of love.
I understand the counterargument that says we should show our loved ones affection every day of the year. However, having a day on which love and affection is at the forefront of our minds is conducive to a better society.
As a kid, I loved the valentine card exchange at school. Every year, my mom and I made tokens of love for all of my friends, and I had something special in mind for each of them. For instance, I’d pick out a color I thought they’d like, or if I remembered they didn’t like horses, I’d refrain from putting the horse sticker on their card.
Yes, we are wasteful on Valentine’s Day. We throw away the empty and half-eaten boxes of chocolates — no one knows what’s in the bottom row of those random boxes anyways — and the roses that eventually decay and emit carbon dioxide gases, but humans are inherently wasteful. We create waste on Christmas too, but no one argues it’s a dumb holiday.
While Valentine’s Day is usually deemed a holiday for women or those with significant others, you can show your love for someone regardless of their relation to you or their gender. Saying, “It’s a girl holiday, so I don’t like it,” isn’t a real excuse not to participate.
Holidays were created to celebrate something special. They’re in place to make life more bearable — we can look forward to an extraordinary day in the cycle of ordinariness that consumes our lives.
Having a significant other is not essential to celebrating Valentine’s Day. . The point of Valentine’s Day is to spread love. Walking around with a pleasant smile on your face and positive feelings emanating from your being because you are ultra aware of the meaning of the day makes a difference. Marking your calendar for Valentine’s Day makes you more aware of what the day’s purpose is, and you will have a different mindset if you embrace it.
On a personal note, I bought my friend cheesy valentine’s gifts last year after a miscommunication with her boyfriend. She loved every bit of the four dollar flowers from Wal-Mart and the cheesy card I gave her because she knew I did it out of my pure love for her.
Valentine’s Day 2016, my boyfriend, was my “valentine,” and I enjoyed exchanging specific gifts that showcased our love for each other, but I also had one for a friend. She is one of my closest friends in college, and while I show my appreciation for her every day, I was able to make that day extra special for her.
With all the hate we see on the news and social media, the fact that we are all humans looking to be understood and loved escapes us too often. This is why it is important to enjoy and participate in this day of love.
Yes, we should practice love every day, and perhaps one day we will be able to be more loving and appreciative, no matter what the calendar says, but for now I’ll settle for having a specific day each year to spread love around the globe in as many ways as possible.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Temple, Georgia.