Love. That little word with the most power per letter in the English language.

What I like most about Valentine’s Day is that it gives you the opportunity to show the people you love the most how much they mean to you. Even more so than Christmas, Valentine’s Day is all about giving. I gave my best friends roses and serenaded my roommate with a strip tease while singing “No One” by Alicia Keys (I think she was more embarrassed than I was). Saturday morning, I opened the door to find gifts lying at me feet: brownies and a love song CD from the freshmen in our dorm, and three unsigned roses. All day I could not suppress a mysterious smile as I wondered to myself who the sender of those roses was.

My Vday Outfit

My parents let me buy myself a dress as a Valentine’s Day gift, and I hesitantly told them it cost 300$, expecting them to order me to return it immediately. Surprisingly, they were so happy that I had finally bought myself something valuable and could not wait to see pictures. My parents are so cute, I don’t know anyone else whose parents buy them Valentines Day presents.

Something about Valentine’s Day blocks out sadness and fills everyone with happiness. I spent the day with one of my best childhood friends who lived down my street back home. Seeing old friends triggers something comfortable, and I couldn’t stop smiling, singing, and dancing all day. While waiting for the bus, I taught him to waltz and swing, and we choreographed a dance to the Beach Boys’ “Do you wanna dance”. For one weekend, I felt like I finally had someone at school that I could call a true friend. As he walked away in the rain, and his dark blue jacket disappeared into the night, I couldn’t help feeling like I had lost something. It was like my only genuine friend was leaving me behind in the college cesspool of self-absorbed, superficial relationships.

My friend and I were wondering whether Valentine’s Day was purely a marketing gimmick invention of the chocolate industry. If it was, they are pure geniuses and deserve everybody’s gratitude for devising such a great holiday. I’m going to take this opportunity to pat myself on the back for surviving my first single Valentine’s in five years. I never did find a Valentine, but I did learn that in my life there are people who care about me; and that is good enough for me.

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? How did you spend it?