This is a story all about how my life got… no, that’s not happening. There isn’t an unPhiltered remix of the opening theme to “Fresh Prince” but Will Smith is a shining example for today’s topic: Valentine’s Day. I don’t know the Smith family personally; however, they looked pretty happy whipping their hair back and forth like that… until the soon-to-be divorce, that is.
People have forgotten how to just be happy with one another. According to History.com, there were saints popularly named Valentine that were ultimately martyred 1600 years ago. This defied the King’s law against taking part in the service of marrying Christians and were sentenced to death. It wasn’t for another hundred more years before Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 to be Valentine’s Day. The only thing these saints had done was make people happy and the Pope recognized that. Before that, the Romans worshiped Lupercalia and hosted a fertility festival in mid-February. There’s a key word in both of those examples that people often forget about: love. Or at least just being happy for a day.
I can admit to being one of those people. One Valentine’s Day several years ago, $200 was spent on dining, two classic heart-shaped boxes of chocolates (with everyone’s favorite fat baby Cupid stamped in the center), and two dozen roses. If you haven’t guessed, yes, I had two valentines. Gave them the exact same thing. Bought them the same $300 necklace from some place that promised me that “diamonds are forever” too, want to fight about it?
History.com cites that $448 million is spent annually in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day on candy – $36 million of which is spent specifically on chocolate in boxes shaped as hearts. V-Day is the second biggest holiday behind Christmas in the purchase of greeting cards. Fascinating work human race, a humble golf clap to you for your feats in consumerism.
Why so serious? Not everyone can be Charlie Sheen with the ladies, so maybe we should all start spending a little less and caring a little more about whats more important. That’s right, here comes that dreaded L-word again. Lady Gaga wants your love and the only thing John Lennon ever needed was love. An ex-girlfriend once said to me that she was happiest when I remembered to leave the seat down.
Is it always going to be the little things that make that special someone the happiest? Of course not, a little money never hurt anything, but that’s just it. A little money. Try to spend a little less and see if they aren’t just as happy you’re spending time with them. If they aren’t, it’s probably high time you ran away from that bad romance as swiftly as possible.
