214

So, 214 came and went again. My day didn't quite fit the mold of a standard valentines day evening, but everyone I was with (the five of us) had a smashing time, and I am very pleased that weeks of planning came together in some sort of mix of movies, music, delicious food, and of course, champagne for days. For the record, Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) may go down as one of the top 3 music videos of all time.

Now we ended up in this 214 marathon more or less due to the usual 'angst:' with one boyfriend out of town, and 4 other singles, why not pool our efforts into one day of group bliss instead of writhing our emotions and desperately trying to blend in with the flower-giving, and -getting, world. Don't matching sweatpants, Journey DVDs, and 3 bowls of mac n cheese sound better anyways?

Now, I used the word angst. But really, there wasn't a whole lot of bitterness against the relationship world. We just deemed the comforts of the indoors a better alternative than trying too hard for people we don't really care about to a ends that we didn't really need. Plus, again, Journey.

So while our little party didn't fit the bill, I still was planning on using this form to diminish the rosy holiday that is February 14th by mocking all the ball droppers and slack sliders that use 1 day a year to scrape their rough surface deep enough to pull out... a wallet. to pay for pre-written words. and a dozen roses. maybe some chocolate. questionable jewelry.

Don't get me wrong, I laugh at this wilted attempt to prove one's love, or liking, or crush, but at the same time, why do I? Sure, if you care about someone, you shouldn't need the scapegoat (Hallmark) to be around to tell you when to do it, what to give, and how to say it. But not all people are the same. Many people have hard times expressing something as serious as love. Or like. Or crush. Maybe Valentine's Day gives the hopeless masses a means to get to a better end rather than wallowing in missed opportunities. Maybe Hallmark's nudge is enough to get people to realize that the apple of your eye deserves a little special attention. Or maybe, that foggy morning that you got a delivery, 24 stunning flowers, with a card saying 'this is only the beginning," was enough to leave you breathless, if only for a moment. Maybe these little reminders and hints and flashes of time are worth the sappy beatings that pop culture can be guilty of.

Above all, maybe these times spent rejecting the very ideals of such a day only do more to spawn hate than they do to spread love.

And while I wasn't scratching the dance floors with a sweetie of my own, we five from the 214 crew spread love among us, splashed it on the walls, rose it in ovens, sang it off-key, uncorked it, laughed it, and crashed it, to warm feelings and general content for life and the ones we choose to share it with. That's all the Valentines I need.