I Love Me

I want to like Valentine's Day — really, I do — but every year I find new reasons to dislike it. (Last year it was the movie Valentine's Day. This year it's the excessive amount of emails being sent by 1-800-FLOWERS and other related businesses.) Being single will do that to you. And yet, I think disliking Valentine's Day simply because you're single is sorta lame. After all, there's no shortage of things on which to shower your love today and every day.

That's why, over the years, I've learned to spend February 14 celebrating the things I love and doing things I love — even if they are by myself. It's like Crosby, Stills, and Nash said: "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with." My thinking is, if everyone else is going to be happy on Valentine's Day, then why shouldn't I be happy, too, spending the day with the person I love: me. There's nothing unrequited there. I'm awesome!

So today, for starters, I might enjoy a good breakfast, I'll listen to my favorite tunes, perhaps I'll eat lunch at a favorite restaurant, I'll go out of my way to spend time with people whose company I enjoy, I'll definitely try to avoid conflict and negativity, I'll leave work at a decent hour, possibly I'll cook myself a nice dinner (or maybe I'll just skip to dessert from Crumbs, my favorite cupcake place), I'll likely talk to my niece at some point, I'm sure I'll watch a favorite television show or two that I enjoy ... and then, when I'm tired, I'll go to bed and sleep a good night's sleep. I love me some me, and today is as good a day as any to show it.

Whether you have somebody to love or you are in denial like I am don't, I wish you a very happy Valentine's Day.