Singles Awarness Day (S.A.D.)

If Christmas is considered one of the most commercialized holidays then Valentine’s Day is definitely in the running for second place, right up there with Halloween. Walk down any asile in a shopping market or pass by any window in the mall and you will find yourself surrounded by boxes and boxes of sugar saturated fat blocks and dead plants. So what happens when you are all by your lonesome surrounded in a suffocating blob of red and pink? First, take into consideration that you aren’t alone. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that over 80 million people are single on Valentine’s Day every year. So, on the bright side you aren’t the only one in sweats sitting on the couch feeling bitter. But don’t let the over marketed, consumer oriented, shallow interpretation of what love is day get you down! Just because you are single doesn’t mean you can’t get out and do something. In fact there are many advantages to not being attached. Consider this; Valentine’s Day is such a commercialized holiday, what with the plethora of cards, candy, flowers and stuffed animals; think about all the money you will be saving. According to marketingchart.com the average American spends $128 on various Valentine expenses. One could spend that money on so many other things, like square dancing lessons or taking grandma out to dinner. Now you could spend the day like any other day of the week, ignoring the pagan celebrations going on around you; however for some, Valentines is an excuse to get out there and do something fun and out of the ordinary. Here are some fun ideas to consider: 1.    Take a good friend out on a platonic date and split the meal. Spice up the meal and dinner discussion by observing the couples around you. Try and guess which ones will actually last and which ones won’t. 2.    Grab a group of friends, dress up, dress down, whatever you like and do something you don’t normally do like skydiving, paintballing, go to a karaoke place, bowling, laser tag sledding, go out to a movie, host a Greek god theme party. The possibilities are endless. 3.    Go to your local library and check out a romance novel and read about the beautiful love that the outside world is experiencing and that you are only reading about. But keep in mind that most likely it wouldn’t last in real life and then buy yourself an ice cream. 4.    Go out and buy a whole bunch of beautiful flowers and hand them out to all the couples on the street. Consider how nice you are for doing it. Who doesn’t enjoy getting flowers? While you are at it, buy some for yourself. Remember, your Facebook relationship status doesn’t say anything about who you are. If you think people are secretly laughing at your singleness, you are spending way too much time comparing yourself to supposedly happily “in love” couples. You should probably stop looking at all those couples photo’s on facebok as well, it only makes it worse for yourself. Keep in mind that just because someone is partnered up does not mean that they are contented or happy. So, this Valentine’s Day throw off the shackles of cultural expectations, pour yourself a glass of sparkling apple cider and give a toast to friends, life and being content exactly where you have found yourself in life. Happy Valentine’s Day!