So today is Valentine's Day, a holiday that I don't have particularly strong feelings about one way or another.  I've heard it dismissed as a Hallmark holiday before, the implication being that it's not a real holiday and more of a fake event pumped up by corporations so they can sell you more stuff.  There's probably some truth to that take, but they kind of do that with every holiday.

Valentine's Day was pretty fun when I was a kid because you'd pretty much just hand out a bunch of brightly colored cards to everyone in your class and in return you'd get a whole bunch of cards and getting stuff was always fun.  Some of them even came with those little heart shaped candies with phrases written on them.  In retrospect those were not exactly the awesomest candies in the world, but as a kid all candy is good candy.  

When I got older and I was single on Valentine's Day it kind of sucked.  It sort of felt like it was rubbing your alone-ness in your face and that's not super cool.  The last thing you want to see when your feeling alone, unloved, and lost in the void is a bunch of stupid cupids and lovey-dovey hearts.  

I've been in a relationship for a long time now and my feelings on Valentine's Day at this moment is it's an okay occasion to give your partner a card or some flowers, but I really don't need a day set aside for love.  When you love people you show that every day I think.  Love's a lot more than cards and flowers or gooshy poems.  It's also being around when things aren't so awesome.  In fact that's when love really shines.  

I enjoy movies and music and stories as much as anyone, but I think they've done a real number on all of us as far as what we expect out of love.  It's definitely not feeling head over heels over the moon 24/7.  It's nice to feel that way, but it's impossible to sustain that feeling forever and when it starts to be less intense, that's when real love starts to happen.  Being there on an average Tuesday night not doing much of anything special.  That's what most of it's going to be.  And it's also sticking it out through some unpleasant times, which are unfortunately inevitable in life.

But anyway, happy Valentine's Day!