By Dan Pavlik, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
Entering the month of February, I thought it would be appropriate to voice my opinion on everybody’s favorite holiday this month: Valentine’s Day.
When I was in elementary school, it was customary that everybody would bring in candy for each other. Embracing my inner “candyholic” attitude, I couldn’t wait for the immense sugar rush.
Unfortunately, time stops for no one, and I couldn’t stay in elementary school forever. In high school, I was forced to face the reality that Valentine’s Day (among other things) was not the chocolate-coated holiday that I thought.
Once my friends and I started to mature, the focus of Valentine’s Day was shifted from Sweethearts the candy, to having a sweetheart of your own. At first, to be honest, I was a traditionalist. Girls didn’t provide me with the happiness that candy could, so I stuck to Reese’s hearts instead of real ones.
Well, you can’t knock something until you try it, right? Sophomore year of high school, I made my debut into the “real” world of Valentine’s Day. The pressure was immense. Do I take her out to dinner? Netflix and chill? Movie and a star lit walk? Are all those ideas too mainstream? Is she going to think I’m boring? All these questions and ideas were running through my mind, and I was running myself ragged.
I finally decided on an oldie but goodie; I ordered up a heart shaped pizza and bought a soft stuffed animal holding a heart that read “XOXO.” The whole evening would be spent on my couch, watching a scary movie by candle light. Not bad right? Or so I thought.
This girl shows up, doesn’t touch the pizza because “the carbs would go straight to her thighs.” We throw on the movie, and right after the movie is over, we took a picture to post on Instagram. She then picked up the stuffed animal and left. What a romantic night!
Where did I go wrong? Did I say something? Does my breath smell? I come to figure out, days later, this girl just didn’t want to be alone on Valentine’s Day. That was the sole reason she came to my house that night.
From that point on, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. And it’s not just because I got played by some girl (okay, maybe a little bit), but it seemed to me that I wasn’t the first guy that has come across a similar situation.
Turns out, no matter what you do to make your night special, as Big Sean says, “Chemistry is worth a whole lot more than anatomy.” My experience is proof of this. Instead of actually taking the time to see if I liked this girl, I put all my effort towards making sure both of us weren’t “loners” on Valentine’s Day. And after the dust cleared, I was still alone.
I think our society has tagged Valentine’s Day as a purely romantic holiday. And of course part of that is true, but love is a complex four letter word that comes in all shapes and sizes. There are people on this planet who I love to death, but it’s not a romantic love. Why not spend Valentine’s Day with them?
My point is if you don’t have a significant other to spend Valentine’s Day with, don’t go pick a name out of a hat or stare at your reflection in the mirror until you burst into tears. You’re not alone. Go spend an evening with someone you LOVE to be with, and let them know how important they are to you. And who knows, with this new take on Valentine’s Day, you may get more than just a Hershey’s Kiss.