The True Meaning of Valentine's Day

I recently watched Valentine’s Day (2010), directed by G.K. Marshall. The movie made me reflect on the overstated holiday. Losing someone you love makes you reconsider love and how long it truly lasts.

I remember seeing this Rom-com in the theater along the side of my mother. My motivations to see this movie at the time were strictly for my celebrity crush Taylor Lautner. 10-year-old me was disappointed to find out that Lautner was only in the movie for maybe a solid 10 minutes but that was a heartache I would have to live with for the night.

So much has changed in regard to the idea of love since I first saw the movie. Valentine’s Day has never struck me to be that important. But last Valentine's was different as I spent it with my mom. It was her first Valentines without her best friend, my dad. I knew I needed to be there for my mom and show her unconditional love and support through this difficult and overlooked holiday.

The love you receive from your parents is something truly special and this is another tough life lesson I have learned after losing my dad. It is the little moments and holidays that mean the most. It’s during these times that being there for your friends and family is crucial. Once you finally believe you are making progress in getting over the loss of someone, something like Valentine’s Day could just send you 5 steps back.

I believe society has lost touch on what the true meaning of Valentine's Day is. I believe it should be more about the general love that you have received from anyone or everyone in your life. The love from friends, family, and even mentors are what people should reflect on. I believe we should celebrate these people rather than just our significant partners.

Valentine’s should be the time that you could finally tell someone, "thank you" or "I appreciate the impact that you have made in my life." These phrases could be applied to any person you have in mind as the holiday could be more than just telling someone "I love you."