I was thinking about making some kind of rant about this holiday, being that it holds a kind of special pain for me. But I've realized to do that is to focus on the wrong part of it. And you should even look past the things that they tell you to do. Sure, it's good to have a reminder, and you still should do them, but you shouldn't hide your feelings and bury your emotions. You should be sure to appreciate what you have in life. You should give, just to give, not because you expect anything in return. Expecting anything will only bring you disappointment. I try not to expect anything from anyone, and that way I find I'm rarely disappointed. It always surprises me when I hear from women in relationships that they never get flowers, just at random. That their boyfriends/husbands/significant others never just do random good things. My fellow men, you're letting me down here. You should send flowers today. You should give a gift to the woman or women (or, in some cases, girl or girls) who mean something to you, who are important to you, for whatever reason, not just love, but friendship, or even just kinship. Too many people have let the good things in their life go by unappreciated, and didn't see them until they were gone from their lives forever. Too many people take what they have for granted. Too many people are trapped by the concepts and rules of society, by what is and is not, what people say should and should, what the majority says is and is not.

I know, you think I'm rambling, but I'm chasing down a point, trying to make it make sense. In the end, people think Valentine's Day is about love, but it's not. It's about appreciation. It's like a more commercialized, specialized version of Thanksgiving. Or maybe it isn't, but it should be. And I give thanks to the people who are there for me, to the people who are important to me. I hope that all of you who have someone treasure them especially tonight, and that you remember to treasure them especially every night. And to those of you who don't have someone, I wish that I could tell you that you will find someone, but I'm no liar. Still, if you're good people (and I'd like to hope that you are), you may eventually find someone who appreciates you, if you're willing to give a little, risk a little, dream a little. It's not about hope; it's about faith. Not faith in a higher power, not faith in the world around, not faith in other people, but faith in yourself. Have faith that someone somewhere is out there for you, and maybe, just maybe, you'll find them. Maybe.

NOW PLAYING: The Afghan Whigs - "John the Baptist"
Lyrics: "Anything for a lover / Anything for a friend / I only wanna see you happy / Baby can we pretend / I'd give anything to see you dance / I'd give anything to see you smile / But baby doesn't want just anything / She wants everything..."