Today is the day Cupid is supposed to shoot an arrow out of his ass and knock you into a euphoric wonderland of love. Today, little girls everywhere are going through their character cards from their glitter-coated Valentines Day boxes and hoping their crush gave them one that says, “You are my soulmate, I love you,” instead of, “You’re a rockstar.” Today teenagers are hoping Cupid will open up the opportunities of romance and the ever sexy Harry Longschlongs with the Justin Bieber hair will finally notice them. Today, a woman is checking her phone every 5 minutes for a call or text from one of 15 guys she gave her number to at the bar in the last 2 weeks, 
hoping one of them will want to buy her a drink or maybe come over and watch a movie. Today wives are waiting to see if their husbands picked up on their clues all week, to probably later drown the disappointment with vodka and fantasies. Today has too many fucking expectations, and that’s why it sucks for most people. It sucks cupid berry nuggets. As a result, people avoid it like they confused VD for Venereal Disease.
I think of all the single people. You assume married people like me are basking in the glory of rose petal covered sheets and Marvin Gaye lyrics, and then you get depressed because you don’t have that. Well guess what? Neither do I. The only difference between being married and being single is you can go fuck someone else tonight and I can’t.
I think the day in of itself defeats its own purpose on an ironic level that doesn’t please God even though He is a huge fan of irony. Men suck at expectations. They fear this holiday more than your vagina fears genital warts. Valentines Day is about as comfortable to men as a PAP Smear. As a result, they spend more time avoiding this holiday than they do practicing for it, and by the time they are married, they are still clueless. Meanwhile women want so much from this Holiday it’s impossible for men, on their best day, to perform. Because we feel entitled to magical romances based on lies from fairy tales and smut novels, we actually get a little down and depressed when it doesn’t happen. No wonder half the world’s battle cry today is, “Fuck Valentines Day.” The Holiday about Love is the easiest holiday to hate.
I think the issue is we humans are really ignorant on the subject of love. We often confuse love for lust. It’s almost impossible for us to love without first being loved. Because we spend most of our lives being lied to by our culture about what love is, we just simply don’t feel loved by the people who love us the most (parents, siblings, friends, spouses…). What we end up craving is chemistry, not love. We crave butterflies in our tummy. The orgasmic feeling of the moment before a first kiss when lips are barely touching. Laying in each others arms naked soaking in the essence of our souls. We want mystery. We want someone to take us outside our comfort zone and challenge our principles. We want lust.
But what if we did want love? What if today, because it’s Valentines Day, we craved hugs instead of romantic kisses. What if instead of dreaming of being held by naked arms, we dream of holding our children, despite the fact that they won’t stop fighting over the remote control. What if we took a minute to appreciate all the sacrifices our family makes for us, like the time your mom went without a new outfit and had to spend 2 weeks eating 3 dollar lunches so that she could loan you a couple hundred to cover your rent. Or maybe the fact that your spouse slaves every day at a job to support you. Maybe it should be enough to get butterflies in your tummy every time you walk in the door and your puppy greets you with a wagging tail and drooling mouth. Maybe today will be the day you notice your significant other does all these little things just for you, whether they fill up the gas tank so you don’t have to stand in the cold, or make you your favorite meal, or restock the fridge with your favorite drink. Even a man going to the other room to fart is a sign of affection that shouldn’t be taken lightly. 
Maybe today is the day we love ourselves enough to stop judging ourselves so critically… to not fall victim to ridiculous wants and instead embrace contentment… to respect ourselves enough to know what is best for us, and it’s not a fling of romance, but a solid relationship with morals and principles that keep us strong.
What if instead of craving love, we take this holiday and expect ourselves to give it? That the hearts and cupids make us giddy enough to send random cards to random strangers. That we grab a last second, discounted rose and hand it off to someone we know who is single and alone. If you don’t have kids, go grab some stuffed animals and find a kid to give it to because nothing is more fun than giving children a gift. Are you single and alone? Consider visiting a nursing home with a bag of candy. Most of those people are lonely too. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a billionaire tycoon on his deathbed… kidding.
In order to find love, we have to love. Valentines Day is what you make of it. Valentines Day is your red paper from which you cut out your heart and decorate with glitter and paint, and then you hand it, bleeding and bare, to someone to express your affection. Valentines Day is your blank page for you to fill with poetic words and Hallmark Greetings. Valentine’s Day is the day you let everyone you love know they are loved.
And please, go love all your lovers in ways that justify cupid’s diet. Just because it’s about love doesn’t mean you can’t have lust too. Happy belated Friday the 13th and Happy Valentines Day.
Check out the V-Day post on The Write Moms… free fonts and coloring pages. Can’t beat that meat.
And today sparks day one of voting in the Blog Bomb Awards. Check out the amazing bloggers and their contributions to society.
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