I Don't HATE Valentine's Day

... for a change, since most of the articles I read are into Valentine's day-bashing. Let me start off by saying that although I see the logic in branding Valentine's as overrated, Valentine's IS licensed to be overrated. It's about LOVE for crying out loud. LOVE is the most overrated thing in the whole world, and an event that celebrates it would not be appropriate if it's not overrated.

Now, why DON'T I hate Valentine's even if my life has been a string of unsuccessful relationships, almost love stories and fart-inducing date mishaps? Because Valentine's Day gives me enough reason to celebrate something that I know I will eventually find in the future. It's like a glimpse of a wonderful thing that's bound to happen. Sabi ko nga before, "If love works for other people, there's no reason why it wouldn't work for me." No matter how long it might take.

Yes, sometimes I wanna puke when I see red dresses, roses and everything that's related to it, but it also makes me smile, it makes me feel that we still have that "humanity" within us. I read somewhere that "The world is now a place that's full of things that are against being romantic but the only thing that's stopping the world are the PEOPLE who refuse to be too cynical for their own good." I am a romantic cynic. I maintain my level-headedness without shedding every little ounce of romance in me.

I may not have a date tomorrow, but I am surrounded by a lot of good things. The simplest of things that prove the truth in the existence of this overratedness. Everybody's alone, it's just easier to take in a relationship. We celebrate our being alone with other people and you find a connection. You find a strand of hope that the world can't be a place of sheer loneliness. That loneliness exists because it has to emphasize the existence of togetherness...

I am not a fan of grandiosity, of demonstrations of love in an overrated kind of way because I treasure the littlest of things. I value being held on to, looked at, smiled at, being hugged, comforted, listened to, offered a ride home, offered a cup of coffee, joked at, flattered.. I value drinking sprees with special people, studying with them, walking around, driving around, beating around the bush, being introduced to new friends and even merely listening to a sweet song while knowing that somebody is there with me, for me.

I know that behind the superficiality that celebrating Valentine's day exudes, behind its overratedness and drama is the basic and most important thing... LOVE. Valentine's Day is a celebration of what was here, what is here, what would be here and what it feels like to love and be loved. That is enough reason to not hate it and to even go the extra mile of celebrating it.