V-Day

This week has passed pretty quickly. I can't believe it's already Thursday. Don't know why, but I'm thinking it's at least in part because Friday is Valentine's Day and I am running out of time for my final preparations.

If you are a regular (non-skimming) reader of my blog, you probably already know that Valentine's Day is my favoritest holiday of them all. Any time when I get to experience some bonus stress without justification is a great time by me. (by the way, I'm being sarcastic)

Okay, so maybe there is a justification for celebrating February 14th as Valentine's Day. Let's take a moment to recap the origin of this yearly occasion. A long time ago, there was a Saint named Valentine. For some reason, he got put in jail. He fell in love with the jailer's daughter. He was executed, but before he died, he sent a note signed "Your Valentine" to the daughter. Great story. The End.

Now, I realize that I sound like a bitter and emotionless person for hating Valentine's Day. The thing is, I don't really hate the day itself, or the idea of celebrating a special day with your special someone. To be fair, I probably don't do enough during the rest of the year to make Olivia feel special, the way she deserves to be treated. That's why I still make an effort to do something nice, despite my ongoing feud with the V-Day powers.

The real problem here is not the day or concept itself, it's the expectations that the "Valentine's Day" label brings to Feb. 14th (and the preceding weeks). The day is supposed to be a celebration, when you can take some time out to spend with your loved one and appreciate what you both have your relationship. In the hustle and bustle we all face every day, and the natural human tendency to grow accustomed and take things for granted, every relationship suffers over time. I think the value of celebrating Valentine's Day is the opportunity to stop for a second and remember why you are with the one you are with. It's a chance to renew feelings that may have gotten lost among the many distractions we are surrounded with as we travel the walk of life.

Unfortunately, the day has become (like almost everything else in this country) a commercialized season when flowers, chocolates, and jewelry are the focus, not the people and the relationships. During the past month, I have seen and heard more ads for this kind of stuff than I would care to be exposed to in a lifetime. I've had Rich Eisen and Linda Cohn tell me about some special deal at Helzburg Diamonds. Eddie and Jobo pounding my eardrums about Vermont Teddy Bears every morning on the radio. And on basically every website I go to, at least half of the banner ads are for ordering flowers online.

Then there's the restaurants. Last year, I made some reservations and took Olivia to the Signature Room at John Hancock for dinner. When we got there, it was completely packed, with about a million other couples, and even though we had reservations, we still waited about 30-40 minutes before being seated. Once we got to our table, our waiter recommended a "Valentine's Day Special" meal and we ordered it. It wasn't bad, but there really wasn't anything "special" about it. Anyways, I'm getting off track here.

You might say, well, nobody is forcing you to get flowers, chocolates, or take her some place nice for dinner. That may be true, but lets face it - if I don't do any of that stuff, I'm a bad guy. It shows I don't love my girl enough, or that I'm a thoughtless, selfish person. I'm sorry, but that ain't right. What began as a day that was supposed to be positive, turned into a burden for guys (and to a lesser extent, girls) across the nation, which now overshadows the truer meaning and value behind the original occasion.

Not to mention that certain people make ridiculous profits off of this day alone by jacking us hardworking folk. Flower shops, jewelry stores, and certain restaurants practically count on their February profits to support the rest of the year, for no good reason other than the explanation I just gave above. That's not right either. I despise these people.

Yes, in a way, they are providing a service for all of us. But how necessary is this service? Do these things, which contribute practically nothing to the good of society, deserve to be a flourishing industry in our economy?

Worse yet, the whole industry is one whose existence creates its own need. Take the car insurance industry as a comparison. We are required by law to have car insurance. Why was there such a law passed? No, it wasn't because of concerned citizens. It was because the large insurance companies paid money to lobby the government for such a law. And now they reap billions of dollars in benefits. It's a legitimate industry, a legit service, but it wouldn't be nearly as huge if not for its own doing.

Some people would argue the same about the military defense industry. The question they ask is, would Bush be pushing so hard for war if not for the influence of powerful lobbies by Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and my very own Northrop Grumman? Many would answer no. (Of course I personally disagree, but that's a whole other blog)

Back to my original point - there's no good reason that flower and jewelry industries are as huge as they are. The only reason they are so huge is because they have created their own demand. By relentless advertising, they passed their own unwritten law that boyfriends and husbands must buy their products on Valentine's Day or suffer punishment. Much as an insurance company or defense contractor creates its own demand by influencing the government for written laws. It's almost like some guy throwing a brick through your window, then making you pay his window repair company to fix it.

The difference is, some of us really do need insurance companies. We all need defense companies. Without them, the United States military would be a joke. You would hear things like "Why did the US Air Force fail? They ran out of paper".

Where would the world be without so many flower shops and jewelers? We'd be perfectly fine. Flowers are nice to look at, and they smell nice, but they all die within a couple days and then what? We don't need a flower shop on every corner and in every Jewel or Dominick's.

Plus, think of how many innocent roses and lilies are just growing, minding their own business, and then their lives are suddenly cut short to be a part of a corsage or bouquet for some bogus occasion. That's the ugly side of flower shops you never see, behind that deceivingly friendly face of the old lady at the counter. Please, someone please put an end to the senseless carnage!

Anyways, before this blog spirals out of control any further, I'll conclude by saying this: Let's not forget the original spirit of old Saint Valentine. Ok actually, what I mean is, we shouldn't ruin this supposedly special occasion by putting so much emphasis and expectation on it. Do special things and get nice gifts because you attach real meaning to them. Don't buy flowers or platinum necklaces just because you feel like you have to; after all, think about the kind of lily-killing bastards you are supporting. Above all else, enjoy and appreciate the day, take the time to remember why you love your loved one, and don't let all the other stuff take that away.