Christopher Closeup
If the approach of Valentine’s Day finds you single and depressed, check out Monica Gabriel’s post at the Verily magazine blog which offers five pieces of advice to help you survive the parade of people who will be making gooey eyes at each other on February 14 – and also includes the brilliantly-imagined sentence, “Bitterness only makes a person happy when it comes in the form of baking chocolate.”
As a young single woman, the approach of Valentine’s Day usually comes with a certain amount of dread. I could wake up on the morning of February 14th, choose to wear black, roll my eyes at the flower deliveries that are whisked past my desk, and do nothing out of the ordinary. My indifference could be a silent statement that I am not one of those poor suckers who has bought into the commercialism that is Valentine’s Day.
But will that make me happy or keep me warm on this cold February day? Not a chance. Bitterness only makes a person happy when it comes in the form of baking chocolate. So how do I enjoy a day dedicated to romantic love?
1. Get some perspective. I enjoy romantic movies and feel happy for these strangers who find love. So why should I feel any differently about the people I know? When my coworker has a gorgeous display of flowers plopped on her desk, I will tell her how beautiful they are and that I am happy for her. It will feel much better than pretending I don’t care.
2. Don’t make it all about you. I am not the only single person in Manhattan, among my friends, or in my family. Instead of wallowing, I will send a card or flowers to a single girlfriend or sister. Just because its not from “The One”, does not mean I won’t make them feel loved.
There are three more tips, but you’ll have to head over to Verily to read them.
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