By Scott Spjut
Life is full of painful reminders.
Today is Valentine''s Day, and if you''re single, then you''ve felt one of those reminders and are probably reading this with a frown on your face.
Some people, and by 'some people' I mean Ashley, may tell you that Valentine''s Day is a great holiday, even if you are single, because you can celebrate love and eat chocolate. Last time I checked, you don''t need a holiday to do either of those.
Some of you today may even feel a little optimistic, thinking you can find a reason to love someone. This confidence is quickly replaced by disappointment when you are reminded of the solitude of your romance situation.
But negative feelings toward this day aren''t only felt by those who check the 'single' box on their Facebook account.
'I think is silly because there should be no set date to be cutesy and romantic,' said Brynn Secrist from Castle Rock, Colo., studying biology and currently in a relationship. 'When you expect something because it''s a certain day, it doesn''t mean as much. But if it just comes out of the blue, it means a lot more.'
This forced affection every February causes women to set their expectations ridiculously high and causes men to become nauseous.
But whether you''re single, dating, engaged, married or any combination thereof, Valentine''s Day can evoke disdain and apathy.
'Valentine''s Day is more of a day of disappointment than a day of happiness for most girls,' said Amber Tucker, a behavioral science major at UVSC, who happens to be single.
She blames most of Valentine''s Day woes on the fact that 'guys are idiots.'
But, turns out, women really do need these idiots to tell them how amazing they are. And those idiots really do need women in order to feel manlier.
One would think that the general ineptitude of the male race should have killed the tradition of Valentine''s Day centuries ago. But for some reason women have been able to perpetuate their fantasies for years, and those fantasies have, in turn, been perpetuated by society.
'The movies have ruined Valentine''s Day for me,' said Aubreigh Parks, a senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., in the nursing program. 'The movies make me think that kind of stuff will happen to me, but everyone knows it won''t.'
Aubreigh Parks has been married since late November of 2006 to Matt Parks, a business major at UVSC.
'It''s more of a holiday for women,' Matt Parks said, as his wife picked some food out from between his teeth, the universal symbol of true love.
For most single women, this holiday is associated with loneliness, giant tubs of chocolate ice cream and more loneliness. But it doesn''t have to be that way.
You don''t need to throw an anti-Valentine''s party. You don''t need to dress in all black to protest. You don''t need to rent a copy of The Notebook. You don''t need to get all of your single friends together to try to fill each other''s romance void.
Lighten up. Just treat it like any other day. Realize that there are millions of people just like you who aren''t in a relationship. A successful relationship is a rarity in our day and age. Divorce rates are high, people break up all the time and we all know someone who lost a significant other to death.
So, instead of wallowing in your own self-pity, you should cheer up. It''s a holiday of love, and there are lots of people in your life to love. It may not be romantic love, but it''s love nonetheless. Tell your parents that you love them. Tell your roommates that you love them. Tell your professors that you love them. If you don''t have any of those, or you hate all those people, tell me that you love me.