Incidental Musings

Remember: Resist

hearts - Valentines
February 13, 2023 by Liza Achilles 2 Comments

At this time of year, I like to remind myself that our society tends to throw around all sorts of messages about a certain holiday coming up (tomorrow) that may or may not be helpful or wholesome for the psyche.

Someone on a podcast I was listening to pointed out that there are two Valentine’s Days that run simultaneously: There’s the one for children, where kids give cheery cards to everyone in their class, and receive cheery cards from everyone in their class. And there’s the one for adults, where single people feel lonely and angsty and depressed, while couples try to cram into the same restaurants all on the same evening, and everyone—singles and couples—experiences dashed expectations due to having days that don’t match up to the movies. (The podcast did not actually say all of that. I elaborated.)

I’m an adult and can’t participate in the Valentine’s Day for kids, which is so much more joyful and relaxed and inclusive. So I like to resist. I do this by choosing what type of day I’m going to have, planning out one or two fun and simple activities, and striving to do just that, instead of pretending (and failing) to be in a romantic comedy.

I might just buy myself flowers tomorrow.

Resistance is not futile.

Sometimes it’s the very definition of health and sanity.

What are you doing tomorrow?