A Love Letter to the Singles This Valentine’s Day
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Love is in the air and all around us during Valentine’s season. Restaurant reservations are booked, grocery stores are cleared out of flower bouquets, and couples seem just about everywhere doing cute, couple-y things. However, Valentine’s Day isn’t limited to couples’ festivities. Galentine’s parties are more popular than ever, teeming with pink cocktails, charcuterie boards, and classic rom-coms. Regardless of how you’re spending the holiday, Valentine's Day is about giving your love to those you care about.
What I think a lot of us are forgetting, or maybe we’re just dancing around it in hopes that it’ll go away, is the insistent sting that demands to be felt by singles every Valentine’s Day. Not having a Valentine is no issue whatsoever, and it has the potential to be just as fun, but the conflicting feelings simmering beneath the surface unfortunately demand lodging. Listening to friends talk about their planned evenings with fresh rose petals, popping champagne, and notably, quality, intimate, romantic time with their significant other woefully reminds you of what you don’t have.
I love hearing how all my friends are spending Valentine’s Day with their partners, yet I can’t help but wonder when it will be my turn. Longing for a romance that’s made just for you, aching to be seen yet accepted in all your flaws, and settling for days of self-love because you have so much love to give but no one to give it to; Valentine’s Day also makes these emotions cruelly apparent to the singles.
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Having spent most of my Valentine’s Days out of a relationship, I’m truly grateful for how far I’ve come on my self-love journey and all the efforts I’ve put into caring for myself over the years. Not to mention the countless dating horror stories I’ve heard, making me appreciate the true beauty and freedom found in being single. However, these experiences don’t work to dismiss the inner hopeless romantic tucked away, waiting impatiently yet reluctantly to step into the light.
I don’t want to be another person who tells you, “It happens when you least expect it,” “You just need to put yourself out there,” or “You’re not missing out on much,” because I know that you’ve already heard enough of that. Instead, I want to tell you that even though you might not have someone who sees you this Valentine’s Day, I see you and how you feel because I feel that way too. The myriad of emotions elicited by Valentine’s Day isn't unordinary, particularly the ones that leave a bitter taste in your mouth, but they still deserve recognition—they deserve a seat at the table.
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Something I’ll be trying this Valentine’s Day is hesitantly yet openly leaning into these feelings, and I encourage you to think about doing the same. These emotions can be awfully unfair, festively contradictory, and ultimately agonizing, but I want to give them the time of day and really think about what I want in a partner. Where are these feelings coming from, and what do they mean? Is it frustration toward the dating pool never being big enough? Is it sadness that I’ll spend another Valentine’s Day single? Is it both? What exactly is it that I’m yearning for? Maybe this will give you some food for thought.
If you’re spending this Valentine’s Day season single, I hope you know that you’re not the only one. You’re not the only one feeling down or craving romance. Whatever you do for Valentine’s Day, even if it’s nothing at all, I hope you can benefit from it the same way I’ll be trying to.
Strike Out,
Writer: Isabelle Krukoski
Editor: Layne Schulte
Graphic Designer: Annabella McDaniel
Tallahassee