Single + Valentines Day

I have been single for well over a year now...minus the short time I was off the market with the lovely gent from Ontario. It has been a roller coaster for sure. Trying to figure out who I am again as a singluar person and fully detatching myself from habits that I unfortunately acquired from my last relationship.

I have had a ton of fun though! Reconnecting with friends and becoming closer with those around me. I have learned to adapt and overcome just about any crazy situation that I have found myself in.

Which brings me to the next issue at hand: Valentines Day.

For singles, this is the next biggest holiday/event on the calendar that usually sends us into a darkend corner, shaking like a leaf and pulling our hair out one by one, kinda like Gomer Pile in Full Metal Jacket.

May be it is because I lack the ability to recognize emotions in other humans the majority of times, but I honestly do not understand the fuss, and subsequent mess this day commonly creates.

Urban Dictionary defines Valentines Day as a day to make lonely people depressed and loved people possessed...another day to feel like sh*t because your single...a day to celebrate Saint Valentine and my personal favorite, the reason so many people are born in November.

Apparently being single on Valentines Day is horrific, not ever having celebrated the holiday (yes, even when I was in a relationship, long story). But having done a search on Google for "single + valentines day" more than 82.5 million hits came up on how to 'survive the day'.

With that many survival tips, is it really that bad being single on VDay?

Apparently it is. I have had 2 people of the masculine variation of our species (ones that I am not dating, nor had designs to date either), literally freak out like bats in a belfry over the simple fact that I have plans already for tomorrow night, and it involves a 3 hour training session with my team. It's not that I am adverse to the idea of flowers, a nice dinner and company (chocolates are a no no...super allergic, another long story). My actions/motivations are pretty transparent though: tomorrow is Tuesday. I have practices on Tuesday's and Friday's. I wasn't told that I have tomorrow off, so I attend.  *shoulder shrug and hands wiped clean*

It is incredibly distressing to me that so many people build this day up. Incredibly high expecations are set, and if one minor detail is forgotten, or a preset notion of legal tender is not applied, the whole world is set to ruin. I would rather be shown every single day that someone cares. To have flowers randomly show up at my office, just cause. To be swept away on a weekend holiday spur of the moment, and I don't even have to leave town for this. To get a random text message from someone saying that they are thinking of me while they are out of town. To have someone show up at a race, to see me cross the finish line and to provide that all important hug (see post entitled The Runners Hug).

I guess it boils down to this: I don't expect anything of anyone on Valentines Day. The standard of treatment that the greeting card companies promote on Valentines Day is the way I expect to be addressed everyday and money need not be spent to accomplish this. I will not settle for anything less.

High maintenance? May be. But then, this could be why I am single on Valentines Day. Guess I better take a look at some of those 82.5 million survival tips.