Image from the net
Valentine's Day is coming soon. I use to detest Valentine's Day when I was single. Each year on that day there was a spark of hope that a delivery guy would arrive at my office door with a bunch of flowers with my name on it. When the flowers did arrive they were always for someone else and that little flutter of hope would have me feeling like the most foolish girl in the world.
There was also hope outside the office that someone might come out of the woods on Valentine's Day and whisk me away from singledom! I thought maybe the cute guy who made my cappuccino all those years ago in Darlinghurst might have been secretly in love with me (god only knows I was in love with him) till on yet another Valentine's Day he offered a bunch of handpicked flowers to the gorgeous blond in the queue behind me. Oh the pressure of Valentine's Day!!
When you are single, days like Valentine's Day make you feel even more single especially as you make your way home with your Thai-take-away pass the restaurants full of couples smooching with red roses on the table. You feel like you are in a scene from Frankie and Johnny!
Valentine's Day is another one of those days I would rather cross off the calendar if I had the choice.
Why don't they devote a calender day to 'fabulously single' or 'smug singles'?
Looking back to those single Sydney years I often asked myself why didn't I enjoy them more? I was so focused on finding a partner I overlooked so much positive stuff. If I hadn't spent so much time worrying about why I hadn't found the perfect love I could have got on with the business of having a really good time!!
Love comes in so many forms, we can love our parents, our friends, animals, a garden, the next door neighbour and their kids, the guy who makes your sandwich every day, photography or art and most importantly we need to love ourselves. Love doesn't just have to come from one person it shouldn't be the only love we aspire to or give.
So for all of you singles dreading Valentine's Day I am with you! Even though I met a wonderful man almost 25 years of nothing happening on Valentines Day doesn't fade easily.
For those of you who are loving the single life or finding it challenging you might find these interesting:
If I am so wonderful why am I still single (This one would have come in handy all those years ago)
Singled Out: How singles are stereotyped, stigmatized, and ignored and still live happily ever after
Happy Fabulously Single Day
Carla xxx
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A great picture but Valentine is just a marketing invention to boost the sales. We don't participate.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
Filip
I agree totally - I used to detest Valentines day, for the exact reasons you just wrote. Hated being single on the day, that made me feel somewhat left on the shelf. Still not a huge fan - I would much prefer a bunch of flowers on any other day of the year than valentines - but we do give cards :)
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend Carla,
Axx
one word for this post- Wonderful! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteMy Mum still sends me a Valentines Day card and it drives me nuts. I especially hated those red envelopes arriving when I was single living in Melbourne even though I know she meant well and sent them with love. To me they were always a reminder that I was single! Hubby and I don't really do Valentines Day, just find it irksome!
ReplyDeleteSuch a fabulous post Carla. I sometimes I wish I'd stayed single longer - I married at 21 which is too young.........and have now been married 47 years!
ReplyDeleteDear God where did the time go?
My Valentine's Day post will be up on 2/14 - with silly pics of us at the Tour Eiffel in 1968 and 2008. Amazing how we were so formal for travel in the first, and very casual as oldies in the second. Life improves with age.....my photos too thankfully.
Have a great St. Valentine's Day with your dearest. (Wishing it early because I will be busy heading to Hawaii with my old guy!).
Mary
I must admit, truly, being single or with someone, I never let myself get emotional about the day. I used to ignore the day when I was single, or do something fun with girlfriends.
ReplyDeleteFunny enough, the man I adore actually made me the sweetest Valentine's day card, and since receiving it, (it broke my heart, it was so beautiful) we began to date... our Anniversary is the 17th of February, so the month will always have a special place with me now. But even so, we do not really celebrate Valentine's Day, just our Anniversary :)
Hope you had a great weekend!
x
Sarah
I detest how everyone refers to February as the month of love. My hubby's b'day is actually on Valentine's Day and my b'day is the day before so we're way too busy celebrating our birthdays to worry about buying Valentine's gifts and orchestrating a perfect romantic surprise etc... Feb is a huge birthday month for us instead as we also have many friends and families born in Feb. For us it's the month of parties!
ReplyDelete~ Clare x