by Kevin Burton
Last year just before Valentine’s Day I heard on KEYN radio that 15 percent of people will either give themselves a gift or buy a valentine card for themselves on Feb. 14.
The valentine part struck me as odd, so I wrote it up as a blog post complete with funny love notes one could write to oneself. I found my notes and a nearly complete post last month. I wondered why I didn’t publish it.
Then it hit me. Publishing something like that would feel like piling on. The last thing I want to do is add to or make fun of somebody’s pain caused by being alone on Valentine’s Day.
Now if you’re single by choice, no sweat. You can ignore Valentine’s Day completely, the way I ignore halloween.
If you don’t have a special someone on that day and you are looking, the pain is crushing, made more so by the fact that it’s close to impossible to escape it all. Between the stores and media we are all force fed Valentine’s Day.
I was in that place for years and years. The pain in searing. Here’s a word to those who are in that situation this year.
Never, never, never settle. You know what it is like to be alone. That can be bad enough. Now picture your life on Valentine’s Day when you have someone around but you are still essentially alone, because you can’t trust that person.
That’s not only worse, it’s much worse.
From here I will cede the microphone to others. Last month Parade Magazine published 75 single on Valentine’s Day quotes. Among them:
3. “Being single doesn’t mean no one loves you. It means that God is busy writing your love story.” – Unknown
9. “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody” – Maya Angelou
27. “I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone.” – Robin Williams
37. “Don’t be sad if you are single on Valentine’s Day. Work hard, achieve something and see, one day, the right person will cross your path.” – Harshal “Harry” Batha
46. “Being brave enough to be alone frees you up to invite people into your life because you want them and not because you need them.” – Mandy Hale
50. “You don’t need a significant other to lead a significant life.” – Mandy Hale
55. “No girl should ever forget that she doesn’t need anyone who doesn’t need her.” – Marilyn Monroe
58. “If you want to be happy, learn to be alone without being lonely. Learn that being alone does not mean being unhappy. The world is full of plenty of interesting and enjoyable things to do and people who can enrich your life.” – Michael Josephson
69. “Hope for love, pray for love, wish for love, dream for love…but don’t put your life on hold waiting for love.” – Mandy Hale
71. “Being single isn’t the cause of loneliness, and marriage is not necessarily the cure. There are many lonely married people as well.” – Renee Jones
73. “The poor wish to be rich, the rich wish to be happy, the single wish to be married, and the married wish to be dead.” – Ann Landers
75. “Yes, it’s a virtue to grow and improve, but it’s important to remember that being single does not mean you’re flawed and in need of fixing. Your relationship or lack thereof has little to do with your worth.” – Jennifer Taitz
To Jennifer Taitz, I say your relationship status has NOTHING to do with your worth.
The Ann Landers quote is not true, at least in my case. But it’s very funny, especially since she is the one who said it. Wow!
I hope art least some of these helped. Be of good cheer. Remember, half-priced chocolate is just around the corner.
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