love, love, and more LOVE

happy valentine's day.

i'm not sure about all you others out there in the world but here in charleston it could not be a more beautiful day to celebrate the day marked for love.

i know there are many naysayers in the universe who call this holiday a cliche, only born to fill the pockets of every greeting card and candy industry tycoon stretching the globe.  but i say...

tish.tosh!

i am glad that, in a world that becomes more cynical with each passing day, we still have these capsules of time that dissolve an otherwise mundane day into something a little more beautiful.  special.  fun.  we all need a little more "fun" in our lives. 

and you can't play the "i'm single and depressed" card with me because i've been that single and depressed girl on valentine's day - wishing i had a man and wallowing in my own self pity.  to avoid feeling un-sexy on the sexiest of holidays, my friends and i would protest.  "anti-valentine's, valentine's day". we made anti-valentine's cd mixes.  put on our best pushups.  went out.  toasted drink after drink to being single and fabulous.  and in an attempt to not celebrate, we ended up celebrating anyway.  those scattered, single, valentine's will go down as some of the greatest nights of my life.

so to all you wet blankets out there (yes, i said it) i say: get out of your own head, go buy a box of lindt truffles, sit on the couch with your love tonight, and indulge.  and if you don't have a love.... your friend... your dog... heck, by yourself (sometimes that's my favorite way to enjoy a good box of chocolate).   or go out with your drinking buddies.  drink one too many and get silly.  pop a bottle of champagne for the hell of it and let the bubbles do their job.  throw darts at a picture of cupid with another angry friend. 

something.  anything!

use this day to remind everyone you care about - friend, girlfriend, mom, dad, sister, brother, cousin, cousin's friend martha, or whomever - that you care about them.

and enjoy it for what it is, for tomorrow it will be gone.  c'est la vie!

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"if you really want to be happy, nobody can stop you"
- sister mary tricky